Welcome to the New Age
by Vergil1989 the Crossover King
Summary: It's been a month since Wally fell in the line of duty, and while the Light is still active, the team discovers a terrifying new threat. It has no concept of fear, mercy, compassion, or morality. Its only objective? Destruction. But where did it come from? This and many questions will have to be answered if they wish to survive. (Will be rated M later. Post S2 YJ, pre DAO)
1. Trouble in Arkham

_**Opening Notes;**_ _Originally, this story started with Zatanna using a spell that ended up blowing up in her face, thus sending her and most of the team to Thedas about the same time the Amells, and Hawke, were fleeing the Blight. They would have wound up in Kirkwall, but for the life of me, I could not get the story to go where I wanted it to go, so I eventually gave up on it as a lost cause. Then I found a couple of Dragon Age stories recently, and it gave me a new way to approach this. How they get there will be the interesting part. D_

_Also, thank you __**Nomad-117**_ _for the help on this, as well as __**Archer83**__. They provided more than a few ideas for this latest insanity lol. Check out their stories if you get the chance, you won't regret it. For now, __**Welcome to the New Age.**_

**Episode 1; Trouble in Arkham**

**Gotham City, Connecticut**

**Arkham Asylum**

**August 15th, 2016**

**10;37 PM**

The high dark walls towered forebodingly for anyone that approached the infamous building that sat on the edge of Gotham City. No one was welcome here, the gothic architecture said as much at least. Gargoyles lined the edges of the roof of the three storied estate, the entire perimeter had a high, brick and metal fence that ended in wickedly pointed spikes, and the land itself had twisted and gnarled trees that dotted the open grounds within the fence. This place was a prison despite what the sign on the front gate said to the contrary.

Once a place of healing called Mercy Mansion, it was now little more than a prison for criminals whose insanity defied any reason. To say that the Asylum had a spotty record was putting it mildly, escapes were frequent and more than one staff member had become a resident. Even the chief of staff had become a permanent resident once upon a time, proving that no one was safe from whatever madness had gripped the Asylum and hadn't let go since its initial conception in the 1900s. And the modern criminally insane 'patients' proved things hadn't gotten any better.

The screams and curses from the criminally insane were common fare for any guards unfortunate enough to walk through the infamous Arkham Asylum. To the uninitiated, it would have sounded like any other day, but for those that had been around for some time, there was clearly something wrong. There was a noticeable edge in the air, a tension that wasn't normal, even for the ancient, notorious Asylum, and the guards and inmates alike noticed.

"Hey Harry. Is it just me, or is there somethin' weird goin' on today?" One man asked as he waved his ID badge over the scanner before a blue, pulsating forcefield while the man behind the bulletproof checkpoint checked the information before deactivating the field. The checkpoint guard only shrugged. "Gee thanks."

"I just started last week Gerard, crazy sounds crazy to me." Harry grunted back before going back to his magazine.

"I'd put that away if I was you Harry. Bats might drop in or send one of his sidekicks since the inmates are actin' crazier than usual. Just you wait and see!" Harry only grunted again while Gerard sighed before walking through the checkpoint just as the forcefield activated behind him. "Fine, your funeral." Without another word, Gerard continued on his rounds through the two level cellblock, a number of walkways and stairways on either side of the hallway. Guards were stationed almost everywhere, a number of crowd control weapons ranging from riot shields and high powered stun batons evident on their persons. All it would take for them to gather equipment of a more deadly nature were for the alarms to start going off, and every man and woman in the complex would run for the nearest armory. They were highly trained officers, ready to respond to almost any threat at the drop of a hat. They dealt with the likes of Mister Freeze, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, and worse, and they were still there to talk about it.

Gerard knew the Asylum, having been present during every major jailbreak in the last decade. He knew the complex was old, and had been built on top of a massive network of tunnels that connected to the city sewers. While most of those old tunnels were sealed, there were many that weren't since it was a literal maze down there. Once every couple of weeks, unless someone went missing or escaped, someone was asked to go down there and take a look around. Gerard was the unlucky man that got the detail this week.

He sighed as he activated his pocket mounted flashlight before taking his stun baton out. With the way the inmates had been acting up lately, as if they had been spooked by something worse than them, he was half tempted to go to the nearest armory and grab a shotgun and a box full of ammo, but he was already at one of the 'secret' entrances to the maze of tunnels below. He didn't want to turn back now, to appear weak in front of his fellow guards only to likely find a pack of giant rats or something which could easily be dealt with by a few well placed zaps. So instead, Gerard pushed upon a certain brick in a distant corner of the basement level and wasn't surprised when the wall slid away to reveal a dark, musty tunnel beyond.

With the lights out, not that surprising given the recent end of the world plot the Justice League and their sidekicks had averted by the skin of their teeth, (a lot of places had suffered at least minimal damage during the attempted Reach Apocalypse,) Gerard was glad he had taken the time to make sure his flashlight was fully charged. The last thing he needed was to stumble into a spider's nest or something equally unpleasant while fumbling around in the dark. His thoughts derailed though when his nose picked up on something foul.

It was the smell that alerted him to something worse than rats. Gerard immediately powered up his baton and started forward, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as he proceeded forward. Activating the ear comm wedged into his right ear, Gerard waited until the wall slid back before sending a message to central command. "We might have a problem down in the tunnels. There's a horrible stench, possibly from a body. Hate to say it but we might have a dead stiff down here. Have someone do a sweep, see if any of our 'guests' are missing."

"Roger that." Was the response as Gerard proceeded forward down the stone and steel reinforced tunnel, the occasional wooden pylon acting as support for the cavern roof. Coming up on a fork that split in two different directions, Gerard was about to take a closer look when his comms beeped. "None missing that we can tell. Although we found something odd in one of the basement cells by your point of entry. Looks like some kinda weird fungus. One of the guards swears up and down that it tried to grab him when he got close."

He didn't hear any of it though as movement caught his attention. "Step into the light, now!" Gerard shouted as he grabbed at his side arm with his free hand. The shadows ahead went deeper into the tunnel, away from his current position, and disappeared into the right hand passageway. "Guess we do this the hard way pal." He grunted as he ran ahead. He never saw the second group as they swarmed from the left side passage, and slammed into his back, hard. He tried to roll to a stop, but the enemies from the right had since turned back, closing the jaws of their trap. He never saw the sword coming.

**August 19th, 2016**

**7;12 PM**

"Why are we patrolling the Asylum again?" Artemis grumbled as she turned to Jaime, Dick, and Virgil as they were cleared through the checkpoint by one of the Asylum guards without a word needing to be said to them. They were working with the Justice League, that was good enough for most people. She sighed though as she adjusted the bronzed tigress mask before Artemis put her hand on her slender hip. Despite the good work they did on a regular basis, she didn't want to be here. It felt too much like a prison, where her mother had spent a lot of time while she was still in diapers.

"I don't know, I just thought we were gettin' the grand tour." Jaime said as he shot a glance over his own shoulder. The sentient blue scarab attached to his spine remained silent to everyone except him. "Yeah I know. We're here under Batman's orders, doesn't mean I can't be curious!" None of his team so much as raised an eyebrow at the young man who was seemingly talking to himself. The guards however gave him a strange look, but Jaime ignored them, having grown used to the stares a long time ago.

Nightwing pulled up video surveillance of the heavily secured cells that housed some of the most dangerous criminally insane the world had ever seen, the Joker being the worst of the bunch. "Because of this." The black armored, blue bird insignia emblem on his chest marked him as a member of the Bat clan. The holographic interface that appeared over his right wrist also marked him as their technologically superior minded member of the team. "Arkham guards and now inmates are disappearing. Something or someone is responsible. Batman wants to know what, and so do I."

The video had their undivided attention as Gerard went to investigate the tunnels under the complex, but he never returned. An hour of fast forwarded video later, something came out. "What the heck was that?!" Virgil pointed at the image of some kind of creature sticking his head out of the tunnel before slipping back inside. "Did Halloween come early and no one bothered to send me the memo?"

"Sorry Static, no such luck." Nightwing replied as he deactivated the video before motioning his friends forward with him in the lead. "We need to detain and interrogate if possible, see what that thing is, if it has allies. What its plans are."

"The usual then. Got it. If it's alien, that's why I'm here." Jaime said as he had his scarab activate the armor that was his own trademark. The blue beetle styled, form fitting armor enveloped and encased him from head to foot, covering his civilian clothes without any trouble or discomfort to him. It was no secret that the armor came equipped with all manner of defensive and offensive weaponry, as well as an universal translator. If it talked, Jaime could understand it, thanks to the scarab's advanced alien tech.

"Yeah, stay alert though. Something here doesn't feel right." Dick muttered as he nodded to Artemis, who immediately drew her sword from the sheath on her back and the hand crossbow on her hip.

The rest of the team followed her example as Virgil pulled a circular piece of metal out of his pack, threw it on the ground at his feet before he channeled lightning through his board. A moment later, it started levitating a foot off the ground, even after he hopped on top of it, perfectly balanced. "Oh yeah, still loving this meta gene power I got." Virgil grinned as he pulled his goggles over his eyes and easily kept pace with his friends.

Blue Beetle meanwhile primed his sonic cannon. His right blue and black hand glove shifted, elongated as it grew at the same time, and powered up a sonic charge once his chosen weapon had finished transforming. All it would take was a thought to activate the **mostly **non lethal, but powerful, weapon.

No one said it, but the bad feeling Nightwing had hinted at, they all it felt as well. They had seen too much and experienced hardships galore to ignore their instincts now, and all of them were saying the same thing. They were walking into the lion's den.

"Why are you leading the team anyway Nightwing? I'm not complaining, I'm just curious." Artemis asked as she kept her gray eyes focused on everything around her. They had since reached the basement level, where several people had gone missing since those in control of the Asylum had called in outside help.

"Kaldur was asked to protect his King's wife and son while he was busy on a League mission. Black Manta has been causing trouble, and Kaldur and several members of the team were asked to assist. That left us." Dick replied as he pulled his escrima sticks from his belt before he activated the same door Gerard and his unknown assailant had disappeared through. "Impulse and a few others are in the Watchtower, they can zeta beam down at a moment's notice if we run into something we can't handle." While the chances of that were slim, the reassurance was enough to relieve some of the tension from the four heroes.

"Well alright then, who wants to go into the spooky tunnel first?" Virgil asked, trying to keep the mood light as he drew power from the complex above by his very nature. After having been experimented on by the Reach invaders, his code name, Static, fit him perfectly since he could channel and redirect electricity as easily as breathing. "I can keep the juice goin' for a while, but ask me to light the place up, and I might be a liability." He explained as the lights flickered before eventually remaining steady. The terrible smell wasn't helping, but he blocked it out for the most part.

"So find the generator, got it." Dick stated as he brought up an up to date map of the maze of tunnels they were heading into. "Unless someone's been digging down here, this should be an accurate 3D representation of the tunnels. We could search for days down here and not find anything, but we're not going far. Not if we don't want to end up on the MIA list like everyone else who's gone down here. We're here to recon the first two sub basement levels, that's it. If we don't find anything on these two, we come back with more of the team." The others nodded their heads before falling into a classic diamond formation, with Nightwing at their point.

"Let's find the emergency generator first. We're still not sure just what Static's capable of." Artemis stated, and Dick nodded his head as he highlighted a section of the map, further into the maze. Before Virgil could try and say he would be fine, Artemis put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not saying you're not strong enough to stand with us, we're just being careful. Alright?"

"Right, sorry, still getting used to this gig." Virgil shot back as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Mentor's an awesome teacher, been pushing me pretty hard, but I appreciate what he's been doin'. Especially since I started out with Luthor and all." It was an old story, but one that he didn't like to talk about considering what Lex Luthor represented. He was the white collar prince of crime, and one of the few humans that had ever ran against Superman and come close to putting the Man of Steel six feet under.

"Esse, you worry too much about that bro." Jaime replied as he activated his suit's advanced sensor array, his protected eyepieces flashing yellow, and began to do an extensive sweep. He stopped when he saw a trail of blood leading away towards the left hand tunnel. "Found blood, almost three days old from what the scarab's tellin' me. Likely belongs to one of the guards jeffe." He said as he looked to Dick. His armor covered face still showed his worry quite clearly.

"Okay. Stick close and keep your head on a swivel." Again they nodded, their earlier tension increasing exponentially since they had hoped they'd find the guards and inmates still alive. The trail of blood suggested they'd only find body parts, and that didn't sit well with any of them. They were used to hostage situations, fighting armed men in most instances, not seemingly wild beasts intent solely on bloodshed. This was something else, every instinct they had screamed it at them.

Entering the chamber where the generator was located, Dick held up a hand and pointed to what was left of the guard that had gone missing just a few days ago. He had been….eaten, for lack of a better word. The bite marks were distinctive, humanoid, and their was some kind of strange fungus covering what little of the body that hadn't been viciously mauled. When Virgil went to touch it, Dick slapped his hand back before pulling a small knife from his utility belt, as well as an empty vial. "Dude, that's just gross." Virgil stated as Nightwing collected a sample of the fungal residue and deposited it into the empty vial.

"You might be glad I did if this fungus is contagious in any way. We'll need to analyse this as soon as we get back." Dick replied as he stood to his feet and turned to the others who had been busy in trying to get the generator going. "Any luck?"

"No, the generator's been smashed. Something big came through here and tore it to pieces." Tigress stated as she jerked her head to what was left of the generator. If Dick hadn't known any better, he'd have said Conner had been down there and had used it as a punching bag. The frame was dented, shredded, as if someone with incredible strength had pummeled it into the ground. The fact that Superboy was with Kaldur and most of the team, and that the footprints in the dust were a lot bigger than he was, said otherwise though. More of the same purplish fungus was also present, covering the smashed generator and the ground around it. "Whatever hit this also left this mess behind." The blonde archer said as she swept her eyes over the mess. "Kinda reminds me of those fire bogs on Raan that Beast Boy talked about."

"This stuff **reeks **mi amigo. Like something was left rotting in the sun for a year." Blue Beetle groaned as he waved his hand in front of his face. "Even the scarab doesn't like that stuff. Said something about it being….unnatural. Not compatible, like Apokoliptian tech." Jaime paused then and sighed. "Oh fine esse. It says that it can do a field analysis if you want Nightwing, but it would take time. We'd be defenseless while it did the scan." By 'we', Jaime meant himself and the scarab, a clarification none of them needed.

"Let's wait and see what's up ahead first BB. I'd rather have all hands on deck." Nightwing replied before they stopped at another junction, this one splitting off into three different directions. The first two passages led to empty chambers that hadn't seen anyone in them for some time. Stacks of old, forgotten boxes and palettes were stacked almost to the ceiling along with barrels of gasoline, among other things. The third on the far left however, wasn't so deserted, or quiet for that matter. Without a word, all of them moved forward as quietly as they could, hoping they could get close without being seen. To find out what they were up against at last.

When they turned a corner they saw a group of small ugly little creatures, standing just at the edge of the light, but as soon as the creatures saw them, they turned and ran into the darkness. All the while, the strange creatures growled and screeched in high pitched tones.

"Cowards." Artemis muttered disdainfully.

"After them quickly, before we lose them!" Nightwing ordered and chased after them but still never stopped his observation of their surroundings. Something didn't feel right, but if he wanted to catch these creatures he had to take a risk. "BB, think you can slow 'em down?!"

"On it jeffe!" Jaime shouted back as he shifted his sonic cannon and replaced it with what most of the team called his staple gun. A blue light appeared within the weapon before bars of metal shot out of the end of it, slamming into a trailing enemy's back and slamming him into the distant wall. The two pointed ends attached to the bar buried themselves deep into the wall, pinning the beast where it stood. "Ha! Bullseye!"

"Behind ya BB!" Virgil shouted back as several more shadows peeled themselves from the passage they had just left. Blue Beetle jumped back as the nearest one slashed at him with a hideously clawed hand while Static blocked a second with his board as he shot backward like a rocket, a trail of blue electricity following in his wake.

"We've been led!" Nightwing shouted when the tunnel ahead of them became alive with activity. The creatures they had been chasing were soon joined by several more of various shapes and sizes, all of them armed with crude weapons and armor.

"Gee, you think?!" Artemis shouted while firing one crossbow bolt after another at the oncoming horde, each one finding its mark in an non-lethal area, but still incapacitating them. "What was your first clue?!"

"You want me to answer that?!" Static shot back, his hands enveloped in electricity which he promptly fired into the creatures that had gotten the drop on them. They gave ear piercing shrieks before falling to the ground, their shaggy like manes of hair standing on end from the static discharge he had thrown into their midst. "Way back's clear, far as I can tell! Let's book it!"

"Right behind ya!" Blue Beetle said as he stapled several more into the walls and floor before two transparent wings sprouted from his back. "Let's go mi amonos! We need backup!"

"Someone with some sense!" Artemis growled as she kicked at the nearest of the creatures, sending it spinning to the floor as she slammed her fist into a second. She followed that by slamming her foot into a third beast's chin, dropping it like a sack of rotten apples.

Nightwing spotted the new shape first and warned the others. "Watch out!"

The warning nearly came too late as a fireball flew from the thing's hands and exploded near Blue Beetle's head. "Per porver! What the heck was that?!" Jaime groaned as he pulled himself off the floor. Even as the words left his mouth, the scarab was supplying an answer.

The parts of the armor that were nearest to the blast seemed to spark slightly as if some form of residual energy was trying to eat through it. Dick had seen a lot of things in his time in the hero business, and the only thing he could think of that could cause such an reaction was magic. He lightly grimaced, he wasn't overly fond of the supernatural, it seldomly seemed to follow any logical guidelines which made it unpredictable. It also didn't help that Superboy and Superman, who could withstand the Omega Beams of Darkseid, were vulnerable to it. He was almost glad they weren't down here to see this debacle, let alone to put themselves in danger.

He was tempted to shake his head since hardheaded Kryptonians even without their powers, wanted to protect everyone from everything. Although Conner would never admit it, what with his attitude problems, but those thoughts were derailed when the creatures' mage started to incant again. "Tigress!" Dick shouted, and pointed to the mage in the back.

"Fancy headdress freak, got it!" Artemis shouted back as she ran up one of the monsters, sprung kicked off the back of his head, and leveled her crossbow at the mage before he could get another shot off. The high tensile strength net that shot out of the bolt entangled the monster and dropped him to the floor in a heap. "Target down! Let's go!" Artemis shouted as she landed in a crouch before fighting her way back to her teammates. That proved far easier for some reason. She didn't know why, but she suspected it had something to do with her taking down the mage. Because the rest of the monsters suddenly weren't so organized. Even so, what they lacked in coordinated assault, they more than made up for in primal rage.

"Might wanna blow the caves to the Asylum jeffe." Jaime stated as he fired back, having switched his staple gun for his sonic cannon. He swept his gun across a wide arc, forcing the monsters back as they slammed their hands over their ears before falling to their knees. The walls and ceiling started to shake from the sonic vibrations from his weapon, but they were too strong for him to bring it down himself.

"Artemis, Blue Beetle covering fire. The rest of you retreat." Nightwing ordered calmly while he threw a few explosive birdarangs at the creatures. The blasts knocking them down and unbalancing the ones further away. He took the brief time in the lull to throw a few more at the support pillars, further destabilizing the tunnels. The moment they found their marks, the explosions that followed had the ceiling starting to come down thanks in no small part to Blue Beetle's sonic disruption.

"Wait, where's the big one?" Static shouted over the sound of the explosions. Again he threw electricity at any that had managed to avoid their combined assault, laying them flat wherever his lightning fell on them.

_Big one?_ Dick thought confused, until he remembered the smashed generator and the huge footprints beside it. _Oh hell! How could I have forgotten about that!_ The heavy hitter that came out of the collapsing tunnel they had just left had his blood turning to ice as it easily pushed through Static's assault. Even Blue Beetle's sonic cannon did nothing but annoy the muscular brute. It tossed its horned head, put an armored arm in front of its face, and kept charging forward. "This could be a problem. Full retreat, now!"

"Working on it!" Artemis shouted back as she battled aside a sword thrust meant for her stomach before spinning like a top, her right foot leading. Her boot clipped the creature across the face, blood flying from its battered mouth. Dick happened to be right next to the creature, and took the spray in the face. The foul tasting blood had Nightwing coughing and wiping at his face in an effort to keep anymore from getting into his eyes or mouth while Artemis dragged him away from the oncoming brute. "No more playing around!" Artemis shouted before she loaded up a foam bolt into her crossbow. Just as the giant horned monster started to take a swing at her and Nightwing, she fired, and wasn't disappointed as the quick hardening foam stopped the brute in its tracks. With him trapping the others behind it as the foam filled the tunnel, they didn't have to worry about immediate pursuit from the rest of its allies, leaving them time to get away.

They hadn't gotten far when Nightwing's comlink started to crackle before they could finally understand what was being said.

"Nightwing can you hear me? Nightwing come in!" The voice of Zatanna Zatara said via comlink. Dick tried to reply, but for some reason, he couldn't send anything, only receive. The others apparently had the same problem, even Blue Beetle which made Nightwing suspect magic once more. "Nightwing if you can hear me, do not I repeat do **not **enter the tunnels! We lost your signal shortly after you arrived at Arkham. There appears to be **a lot **of mystic energy from some unknown source. Standby until we find out more." Zatanna said as if to confirm his suspicion.

He sighed, the League always seemed to contact him with such information when it was already too late. He wouldn't be surprised if they called him one day to tell him that his heart stopped and that he should stop dying.

"So what's the plan?" Artemis asked Dick while she looked him over, checking for any wounds he would likely try to hide.

Dick shook her off since he had avoided getting hit. The only thing that had slowed him down was the blood she had accidentally gotten into his face. "We try to get out of this mystical jamming field and contact the League. This mystic anomaly they discovered is undoubtedly tied to these creatures." Nightwing decided, much to the relief of his teammates. They certainly would feel better when they had back up while facing these creatures. Just because they had collapsed and sealed one tunnel didn't mean those things wouldn't find another way out. If they hadn't already.

Speaking of the collapsed tunnel, Dick looked over his shoulder, and frowned when he could see a part of the giant's horns sticking out of the rubble. The foam at least had held the brute in place, but a part of him had hoped that thing would have been buried completely. While he was confident in his abilities, Nightwing wasn't about to fool himself into thinking they could take something that strong on their own. "BB, watch our backs. If that thing moves…"

"Got it hermano." Jaime said as he backed away, his staple gun primed and ready to pin the horned giant to the ground if it so much as twitched. "So….magical jamming field?" He asked after several tense, silence filled seconds. It would explain why his scarab had been unusually grumpy since they had entered the tunnels. Magic and his scarab armor didn't mix.

"It would seem so. Of course, we didn't get the heads up until **after **we came down here." Nightwing chuckled despite the rather dire situation. They didn't know how many of those things were here with them, and how far they had spread before they collapsed the tunnel that connected to the Asylum. "Still, could be worse I guess. We got out of there before we were overrun."

"Yeah, let's just hope the guards wise up and break out something a little stronger than those stun batons." Tigress grumbled as she again looked towards Nightwing, her gray eyes full of concern for whatever she had hit him with earlier. He still hadn't stopped coughing from the bad taste of blood lingering in his mouth, but at least he had started to look better from the initial splatter. That still didn't stop her from hovering at his side.

By the time they reached the secret entrance to the tunnels, Dick had stopped coughing altogether, and was able to walk out of the passageway under his own power. Only Static was surprised by the welcome they received as a large group of Arkham guards jammed an assortment of automatic weapons in their faces the moment they emerged. "Whoa! No need for that fellas! We're on your side!"

The guards looked at each other and simultaneously lowered their weapons, but Nightwing could tell that the rumbling below had likely alerted them to trouble. A quick explanation had them relaxing around the four heroes, but orders were quickly sent out to double patrols until they had an idea of what they were dealing with underneath the Asylum.

When they reached the main lobby of the Asylum, they saw that the League had finally decided to send reinforcements in the form of Zatanna, Impulse, Miss Martian, and Superboy. Having arrived by her bioship, a semi living vessel much like the martian's clothing which were designed to respond to her thoughts, Miss Martian was the first to nod her head to the four in front of her. No smiles or cheerful exclamations were heard from any of them. Until the situation was handled, it was all business. All in all, it was just another day for the team of former sidekicks.

"What can you tell me about the field, and what was with the late breaking news Zat?" Dick asked, earning him a small eyeroll from their sorceress supreme at his slight teasing.

The small smile disappeared off of her face though as she beckoned them outside. "It'll be easier if I just showed you." Zatanna said as she led the way outside of the building. "I'm surprised you didn't notice going in." She continued and pointed towards the darkening sky.

"We did….but it didn't look anything like _that_." Jaime said first, after he was able to found his voice again.

Upon their initial arrival, the team had noticed a number of dark storm clouds forming over the Asylum. While unusual, it wasn't exactly unheard of for storms to roll in. What was above the complex was far more than simple storm clouds. It was a swirling mass of pitch black, forebodingly ominous, voluminous clouds that were full of lightning and howling winds, but not a single drop of rain. "It's a manifestation of whatever is generating that jamming field." Zatanna confirmed their unspoken question when they had managed to tear their stunned gazes away. "The source is deep beneath us. That much I know for sure. We need to shut it down, fast."

"Easier said than done." Nightwing replied as he pulled up a recording of their fight against the monsters. "Besides the fact that they seem to come in all shapes and sizes, one type seemed to possess some level of magical ability." The gold color armored brute in the back of the horde was shown clearly by Nightwing as he paused the video with a few skilled finger taps at the wrist mounted computer embedded in his suit. "The headdress wearing creep seemed able to command the rest to some extent, giving us if nothing else, a target of opportunity in future engagements. The biggest problem however is that when we went in there, we were hit on all sides by their sheer numbers. We were lucky to have gotten out of there when we did."

It never ceased to amaze the team how thorough Nightwing, and by extension, Batman, was when it came to analyzing their opponents. One confrontation with this latest threat had revealed quite a bit of information for the observant youth. While they likely still had a lot to learn about the creatures, they had gained much needed intel that would save them a lot of headaches later.

Without their leaders, these creatures seemed to be fairly unorganized and primitive in their tactics, an advantage that could save their lives. When Artemis had tied up the mage with one of her special trick bolts, the rest of the monsters had devolved into a mass of uncoordinated primal brutes. Even so, that hadn't made them any less dangerous as a whole, and the effect had only been temporarily. Dick suspected that they would have to kill the mages to get a permanent reaction. That was something he wasn't looking forward to.

"You sure we can just subdue these things?" Conner asked, giving voice to something few of them wanted to openly consider after Dick had finished his detailed debriefing. "I'm just saying, if this is the head of an invading force, we might have to lose the kiddie gloves."

"This isn't some psychic training exercise Conner. We were trained to fight and defend innocent people, but killing? That's what we stop the bad guys from doing, but we don't do that ourselves." M'gann exclaimed, even as a part of her wondered if that was what it would take to end this menace before it got out of hand.

"We don't even know what they are, where they came from, or what they want. The scarab's thinking we might not have a choice but to get our hands bloody with these creeps. Somethin' about 'em doesn't seem natural." Jaime reluctantly agreed to Conner's statement, hating to do so but they were in this together or not at all. That was how it worked for them. They had come through too much together to start splitting apart at the seams now.

"You mean the fact that they tried to stab us? Or that it seemed like they wanted to eat our faces? Because I think that qualifies as not natural." Artemis said with a healthy dose of sarcasm. She held up a hand before any of the others could say a word. "I'm not eager with the prospect of going down there with the sharp and pointy arrows in my quiver, but I agree with Blue. Something about those things didn't strike me as the talkative type. Even the League of Shadows have **some **humanity about them, even if they are highly skilled killers. Hell, Mongul seemed better than those things, and that's saying something." Considering said Mongul had tried to destroy their world in an 'act of mercy' against their Reach occupiers, that was indeed saying something about whatever they had ran up against under the Asylum.

When all eyes fell on Virgil, he held up his hands and grinned sheepishly. "Hey, don't look at me. I just do what you guys do, just slower." He said, not about to pick a side since he honestly didn't know what to make of it all.

"I think we should learn more about them before we decide what kind of action we want to take. We are **not** Judge, Jury and Executioner. We won't make that kind of call until we can be sure that these things can't be reasoned with. We didn't kill the Reach, and we won't kill them either. Agreed?" Nightwing asked his team though it was said in a tone that made it clear that they better answer with "yes".

Artemis was the first to comment on the plan, making her distaste plain as day. "I still say it's a mistake, but we're with you Nightwing."

Dick took a moment to stare at the back of the archer's long blonde covered head before he opened his mouth. "Tigress, we all mi-"

"You **don't **want to finish that sentence." Artemis growled through her teeth before stomping towards the front doors.

Dick didn't need M'gann to tell him that even mentioning Wally had been a mistake as the martian woman put a hand on his shoulder. "When you tried to imply her new hostility was born of her grief, I sensed a great deal of rage. I….wouldn't do that again. It's still too soon for her."

"Can't imagine why." Conner muttered quietly. It was no secret to anyone on the team that they had loved each other. Artemis and Wally would have eventually gotten married, had kids, started a family, the whole nine yards. But the job had killed the speedster during the end of the Reach occupation.

Nightwing could understand that to a certain degree, but he was worried about her behaviour which seemed to get more and more violent. In her anger, she didn't even consider that she wasn't the only one who missed Wally. He had been like a brother to Dick, but he had yet to allow himself the time to grieve for his friend. He had to appear strong for the team, and maybe even more importantly, for himself.

To say that Artemis' recent behaviour was taxing would have been a colossal understatement, and Nightwing found it difficult to hold his tongue. He knew it was the right thing to do, but a part of him wanted to snap at her, to yell at her that she wasn't the only one who had lost a loved one that day. But now was not the time. They had a job to do, and they needed to see it through, one way or the other. "Let's get this done. Then we can hopefully figure out what we're up against before the night's through." Dick said at last and led the way back into the Asylum.

**Back in the tunnels**

Only a few people had a complete map of the Asylum, and Batman had long since mapped every square inch of the place from top to bottom. That meant Dick also had a copy, and he led all seven of his friends into another tunnel entrance shortly after catching up with Artemis. Once more, Static was asked to power up the lights in the tunnels while the rest of the team fanned out, covering every possible angle of attack.

"Stick together, we sure as hell won't split up like in those stupid horror movies." Nightwing told his team while he slowly creeped into the tunnel. "Zatanna, can you tell me what we're looking for?"

"I'll know it when I see it." Was all their sorceress would say on the subject.

"Well that's reassuring." Static stated, his tone light, but it didn't take a mind reader to know it was empty cheer as his eyes flicked back and forth. "Keep away from the walls, some of these things like to jump right outta them. Trust me, one of 'em got my board. Woulda got a leg if I hadn't jumped back when I did."

"Right." Conner growled as he tightened his fingers into fists before he cocked his head to the side. "East tunnel. There's a group up ahead, I'm sure of it." The kryptonian clone pointed to the nearby tunnel that likely joined the one they had collapsed earlier.

"Leave it to kryptonian hearing." M'gann's gaze had fallen to Conner's back, and more than a few of the team could tell what was on her mind if the twinkle in her brown eyes was anything to go by.

"Keep your head in the game Miss M." Dick gently reprimanded her, but couldn't help but smirk at the martian since it warmed his heart to know they had gotten back together. Conner and M'gann were good together in his opinion.

"The mystical energy seems to be coming from that general direction. It seems we'll have to face those creatures sooner rather than later." Zatanna stated after M'gann had hurriedly apologized for her momentary lapse.

"Good, it was getting boring anyway." Artemis muttered, obviously still in a foul mood. Loading a fresh bolt clip into her crossbow, the aptly named Tigress lead the way with Nightwing right behind her. Just as they entered a large chamber that gave way to stone walls and pillars of uncut stone, M'gann linked their minds telepathically, allowing them to stay in communication even if their comm links, for whatever, decided to stop functioning. A quick look down to the floor below them revealed a large number of the monsters. _I counted thirty, maybe more. Two of which are those gold, head dress wearing freaks._

_I can hear a couple of big ones milling around down there. We take out the leaders, the rest should become disorganized and easier to manage._ Conner stated a moment later, hoping Dick's intel was right about how these things operated. If not, this was going to be a very short engagement.

_Miss M, can you get us any information about them?_ Nightwing asked her mentally, hoping to get a feeling for the enemy.

_I'll try, but I have a bad feeling about this._ A reassuring hand on her shoulder from the physically imposing Conner was all the incentive she needed as M'gann's brown eyes started to glow bright green, illuminating their corner of the dark chamber. Putting her hand to her forehead, she wobbled and if not for Conner keeping her steady, she would have fallen to the ground as a sudden onrush of weakness and fatigue hit her like a brick wall. As it were, it took all she had not to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of minds she had opened herself to. _Too many….all connected to something….can barely focus. I think...they are following something….something ancient, powerful….and malevolent beyond reason._ It was then that her eyes turned a sickly looking milky white as something started to overpower her directly. _Oh no….it knows I'm there! It's looking at me! I can't….I can't look away!_

_M'gann! Disconnect! Disconnect now!_ Conner frantically shouted as he gently shook her, hoping to jar her back. When her eyes returned to their natural brown state, she slumped to the ground at his feet, the experience having exhausted her in more ways than one. Their telepathic link went down at the same time, relieving the pressure from the martian completely.

But it was already too late. Much too late, because the creatures in the chamber hissed in alarm, having felt the subtle mental touch of the young Martian, and they didn't like it at all. Worse still, they seemed to know where they were as all of them turned as one in their direction and slowly marched towards them, like they knew that there was no reason to hurry. As if they knew that they couldn't escape them.

"Um guys, not to state the obvious, but I think we're in trouble!" Virgil was the first to point out the obvious as an arrow was fired towards the balcony and embedded itself in the wall where he had just been hovering on his board. "Yeah, we're in trouble!"

"Not for long!" Conner shouted before using his body to shield M'gann who was still recovering from her attempt to mentally connect with the creatures below them. A giant rock, thrown by one of the horned brutes below, soared at them was shattered against the clone's fist when he punched the projectile before it could smash against the metal walkway. "Come on M'gann, we need to go!" Conner said as he turned and tried to help the martian to her feet, but she could only stand up for a moment without falling to the ground once more.

"Superboy's right, we're outmatched!' Nightwing shouted, already in the process of holding back three enemies at once with his escrima sticks while Artemis fought at his side. They kept the leading creatures from advancing up the stairs, but by the time they knocked them down, several more were already climbing over their fellows. Even with Blue Beetle using his sonic and staple weapons, keeping the ones on the floor below from running up the stairs, and Zatanna further slowing them down, there were just too many of them as fresh reinforcements poured out of the distant tunnels on the other side of the chamber. They had kicked the hornet's nest this time, and they were about to get stung.

"Superboy! Get down!" Nightwing shouted at his friend as fireballs and other magical projectiles began to rain down on the balcony from three different directions. Conner didn't hesitate as he pulled M'gann down with him, using his body to shield her. Despite his superhuman strength, the few magic based projectiles that found him still had him screaming as they tore through his super dense skin with ease.

Zatanna managed to deflect some of them but she visibly flinched under the onslaught. Even her vast reserves of mystic energy wasn't going to last under the sheer weight that had been thrown against them, and she could only incant so fast. And the news only got worse when she threw a shield over herself, Conner, and M'gann, and immediately felt weaker when another volley slammed into the shimmering barrier. "Something isn't right. Their magic, it feels corrupted! Like it's leeching my reserves right out of me!"

The fact Conner and M'gann were down for the count barely five minutes into the fight was bad enough, now Zatanna was telling him their magic was inflicting harm on her as well without actually touching her? There was only one thing Dick could do now, before more of his friends fell. "Fall back now, full retreat!" Nightwing shouted over the din of steel against steel, even as he and Tigress slammed their boots into their latest opponent and sent him tumbling down the stairs head over heels. A dense cloud of smoke appeared around the young man, obscuring them from their enemies' sight while they made a break for the tunnel they had used to enter the chamber. By the time the smoke cleared, all eight of them had vanished into thin air.

With the angry howls of their opponents echoing through the tunnels, demanding the flesh and blood they had been denied, the team ran for their lives. It was a new feeling, having to flee like this, and it was one none of them enjoyed even if it meant they'd fight another day. The first time they had underestimated the intelligence of these creatures, and the second time their numbers and their ruthlessness. If Dick were to make an educated guess, they wouldn't care how many of their own died as long as they got their prize. More than one projectile fired from their mages had killed a whole group of their own, and the rest had unflinchingly marched on.

"I'm just saying it now, if I hear an 'I told you so,' I'm going to be very put off." Dick grumbled when he caught Artemis staring at him. The blonde archer merely shrugged as she fired over her shoulder, filling the tunnel once more with a quickly expanding glob of hardening foam when the first of the monsters made the mistake of sticking their head into the tunnel. Looking to his right towards Blue Beetle, Zatanna, and Static, he was relieved to see Conner and M'gann were coming around as BB carried M'gann over his shoulder while Static handled the clone, having produced a second board from his pack. It hadn't taken much concentration on his part to rip a few pieces of sheet metal from the wall and form a kind of harness for Conner so he didn't end up falling off the levitating board as they fled.

Once they were out of the tunnel, Blue Beetle wasted no time in shooting the floor of the passageway they had just come out of with a high charged sonic disruption. The tunnel floor buckled and eventually crumbled away, leaving a good sized hole that they hoped would stop anymore of their assailants from using the tunnel in the future. Once the door was shut to the collapsed tunnel, BB gently set M'gann down while Static did the same for Conner. Zatanna was slumped against the wall, sweat pouring down her face from her attempt to hold back the magical assault directed at her friends. Only Dick and Artemis had gotten out relatively unharmed, and even they were exhausted.

Despite her earlier rage, Artemis was the first to stand shakily to her feet before she helped Nightwing up from the floor. "We need to….get back to the Watchtower."


	2. The Long Knight

_**Opening Notes**__; I feel like a complete idiot. I forgot I had listed Impulse in the last chapter and didn't give him a single line of text lol. May just go back and remove his name from the reinforcements sent to the Asylum, be far easier that way anyway. Beyond that major lapse, I think the last chapter came out pretty well, wouldn't you folks agree? Anyway, here's the second 'episode.' Enjoy!_

**Episode 2; The Long Knight**

**The Watchtower, Earth orbit**

**August 19th, 2016**

**11;37 PM**

Standing by the main window that overlooked the planet below, Kaldur'Ahm looked over his shoulder to regard those that had assembled in the meeting hall. Both Leaguers and his team were there, assembled around the massive table that dominated the center of the room. He had only returned an hour ago from protection duty to Queen Mera and her four year old son, and despite the detailed mission report regarding the threat beneath Arkham Asylum, Kaldur still couldn't believe what they had encountered. Conner was still recovering in the Watchtower infirmary, M'gann was still exhausted from her attempted telepathic link with the creatures, and Zatanna was in a mystic trance in an effort to recover her lost power.

The only ones that had gotten out of the tunnel complex below relatively unharmed had been Nightwing, Tigress, Static, and Blue Beetle, and even they were tired from the fight. What worried Aqualad was that Nightwing had begun to cough a few minutes ago, and since they didn't know what they were dealing with, he feared that he was infected with some unknown pathogen or disease. He was currently being examined from head to toe by Martian Manhunter in the isolation ward in the Tower. With the alien's vast knowledge of life beyond their planet, it was hoped he'd be able to isolate what it was that had started to run rampant through Richard's body.

They had also begun to analyse the sample that Nightwing had recovered from the corpse of the security guard. It was in another fully isolated laboratory, and was being analyzed down to its molecular structure. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to matter if it had been left on living tissue or on the walls of the tunnel it had been discovered in, its capability to slowly grow and cover everything it touched was beyond worrying. Starro Tech had been worrying, but this, this was downright terrifying.

They had never seen anything like it, and considering what the members of the League had seen, that was saying a lot. The closest thing Kaldur could think of was some kind of mutagenic plague, one they hadn't encountered before. It had even killed a few cockroaches they had exposed to it within moments, while the rest had transformed, becoming….for lack of a better word, corrupted parodies of themselves. They had grown bigger, became covered in deformities ranging from spikes to sharp, needle like teeth along their mandibles, and their aggression response had been increased to match their new found size. Whatever they were dealing with, it was extremely dangerous, that much Kaldur and the rest of them were coming to realize. When it became apparent the corrupted roaches couldn't safely be contained when they started to eat their way out of their isolation cell, they had been flushed out the nearest airlock with a little help from Hal Jordan and his Green Lantern ring.

"You've been quiet since your return Kaldur'ahm." King Orin said as he put a hand on the young Atlantean's broad shoulder. "I am certain that they will be fine." He continued, just as worried about this recent development as the rest of them, even as he tried to sound calm and collected. His eyes told the truth even though his neutral visage said nothing was wrong. Such a mask was necessary when one ruled most of the world's oceans and held dominion over those that inhabited it.

"Thank you my King, but that is not the only thing that worries me." Kaldur solemnly replied. "I read the reports twice and cross referenced them with engagements against previous foes. And of all the League's enemies, they are the most similar to Parademons from Apokolips, which Darkseid utilized in an alternate Earth about the same time the Apolaxians invaded **our **Earth. Of course, they are far more primitive, but their behaviour and tactics show some similarities. Both overwhelm their opponents with sheer numbers it would seem."

Alternate realities were known to exist, and in most of them, the Justice League had united and fought against some kind of otherwise overwhelming force from a distant world. While some things changed, some things remained the same, and the Justice League uniting under a single banner were one of the things that rarely changed, even if their reason for doing so varied from reality to reality.

"I agree, but what these creatures lack in technology, they make up for with their magic and variety, and no one should underestimate the danger of this new pathogen." Batman said directly behind them as both Atlanteans jumped in surprise. His expression even more serious and grave than it was usually, no doubt out of worry for Richard, his adopted son.

"Thank you, Batman." Aqualad said, uncertain what to say to the dark clad hero, though he was truly honored that the best tactician of the Justice League and the world's greatest detective agreed with his analysis.

Batman nodded at him and Aquaman before turning around and silently walking off. Aquaman shuddered lightly and said. "I have known him for years, but he still manages to scare me as easily as he did when we first met."

Aqualad simply nodded at his King since it wasn't any different for him. But as scary and unapproachable as Batman sometimes seemed to be, he was still a respected and valuable member of the Justice League. With another clap to his shoulder, King Orin walked off towards some of the older heroes who were still discussing this new threat among themselves.

As soon as Orin had walked off, he saw Tigress push herself off the wall and walk towards him. His eyes didn't miss how she pocketed a little device that he had seen her using before. It was a listening device, which meant she had heard everything he had said to his King and Batman. When she arrived, she didn't even try to hide what she had done. "So you've analyzed our opponent, what is **your **recommendation?" Artemis bluntly asked him, her eyes staring at him with uncomfortable intensity.

"I will voice my opinion once the briefing has started. Until then, you can use the time and explain your behaviour from the last few weeks to me. Nightwing's reports were **very **thorough, and I am not blind either." Aqualad answered calmly, since he too had seen the heightened violence in Artemis` actions, and just like Nightwing, he was also very concerned.

Artemis clenched her teeth in response and hissed. "What do you think is the reason, huh? Or did you already forget what happened?"

Kaldur`s eyes darkened at the insinuation and he answered her in a quiet tone which carried a barely audible warning in it. "I know you are hurting Artemis, but never think even for a moment that you are the only one who misses Wally. The rest of the team were perhaps not as close to him as you, but that doesn't mean that we don't grieve for his death. Just ask Nightwing if you don't believe me, since he knew Wally for years before you even met him, and was his best friend."

Kaldur turned his back to her and marched off, where to she didn't know, nor care as her mind was filled with many conflicting thoughts. What she did know that he was right, even if she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her shaken by his words as she too wandered off. To where, she couldn't say either, only that she needed to get out of the hall before she did something stupid. Like hit Kaldur in the face for instance.

Kaldur meanwhile found himself in the infirmary, and saw M'gann was still unconscious, while Conner was only just coming around. The bandages around his chest and lower abdomen he was in the process of removing, much to Martian Manhunter's chagrin. "Please Conner, you must rest." The martian began, but Superboy was already getting to his feet.

"I'll rest when I'm dead." Conner shot back as he pulled up a nearby chair and sat down by M'gann's side. The concerned look in his blue eyes was easy to read a mile away as he gently entwined his fingers around her limp hand. "Is she…."

"As far as I can tell, she is merely sleeping. Whatever attacked her when she tried to telepathically link with these...creatures seems to have left no permanent damage behind." J'onn explained, much to Conner's immense relief. "However, I would still strongly advised that you remain in bed Conner. You suffered considerable damage under the magical assault you took in place of my niece." While he greatly appreciated Superboy's willingness to protect her, J'onn still cared a great deal for the rest of the team as well, of which Conner was an integral part of.

"I already said I'd rest when I'm dead. Besides, I heal fast, especially since we're in space and the yellow solar radiation is much more intense up here than on the planet." Despite his harsh tone, Conner nodded his appreciation for the martian's concern for his well being before turning his head to look over at Kaldur. "Kaldur. When'd you get back?"

"A little over an hour ago. Queen Mera wanted me to thank you and the team for their assistance before I sent you ahead to assist Nightwing at Arkham." He turned to J'onn next, his small smile disappearing as his gray gaze fell on the distant isolation cell at the other end of the infirmary. "How is Nightwing?"

"His condition is slowly deteriorating. I do not know what it is that he caught from that beast's blood, the tests are still running. All I can say is that it is slowly mutating him, much as it did the cockroaches we exposed to this….pathogen. I do however believe that the more complex the lifeform exposed, the longer it takes for them to change. Into what, I cannot begin to guess." J'onn informed them solemnly, not wishing to cause them further distress but also seeing no point in lying to them. "Doctor Fate did however suggest that there is an...underlying mystic presence, which suggests it is not solely biological."

"Which means that most of our medicines will not affect it." Kaldur stated before he clenched his right hand into a tight fist. "What have we stumbled upon now? Could this perhaps be another scheme perpetrated by the Light?" Even as the words left his mouth, the Atlantean didn't feel certain that was the case. Something about this didn't seem like something they'd risk unleashing on the world since they lived on it. Lex Luthor himself had once said that they only wanted to control Earth, not destroy it, to bring their world into the center of the galaxy as the dominant power of the cosmos. This plague didn't seem like their modus operandi, unless their goals had changed since last month, which he doubted.

"It is possible, but I do not think so. This pathogen seems too… unstable, uncontrollable for them to use. If they did use it, then they had no way of stopping the infection once it started." Martian Manhunter answered the younger hero with a shake of his head.

"Which leaves us with more questions than answers." Conner growled before he sighed heavily and looked to the ground at his feet.

"We will find the answers, one way or the other Conner. There's always a way." Kaldur said, reassuring his friend. He truly believed this, and besides, he wasn't about to lie to his team, to give them false hope. They hadn't nominated him as their leader when they had first formed the covert ops team all those years ago for him to fail them now. Though he was concerned, three members of the original team, counting Nightwing were out of commission and Wally was dead. To the seasoned Atlantean, it felt like the centre was crumbling.

"I'd be more concerned with what's driving the monsters beneath Arkham." All eyes fell on M'gann as she slowly propped herself up, her free hand pressed against her forehead as she tried to clear her mind. "The storm has only just begun. What we saw….it was only the start."

"What do you mean M'gann?" J'onn asked, having a bad feeling what she had seen wasn't going to be good news. His unspoken concern was shared by everyone within earshot as Conner's hand tightened around the young martian's.

She began slowly, hesitantly. The memory was still very fresh, and it had shaken her to her core. "When I was inside their minds, I-I felt something old. It felt like I was being dragged under the countless numbers it commanded. It saw me, overpowered me without much effort, and I felt like I was drowning before Conner pulled me back." It was here that she opened her brown eyes and stared at the others intensely. "For a brief moment I could see what it saw, feel what it felt, thousands of minds all connected, all awaiting the commands of their leader, their **god**. I'm certain it was this thing I was connected with. Most of them weren't in this world either, but somewhere else, beyond something called an Eluvian. That's all I was able to get before it got to be too much."

"It's a lot more than what we had a moment ago Miss Martian." Kaldur stated before he took a step closer to the pair. "Do you have any idea what an Eluvian could be? Why they are doing this?"

"I didn't get much more than a brief flash, something that looked like a doorway, maybe a stable portal." Once again, M'gann's hand pressed against her forehead as she closed her eyes, and focused her thoughts inward in an effort to sort out the jumble of images and sensations that she had collected. "It was confusing, disorienting, so I can't be sure. As for what they want….I don't know, I only got flashes of things I have never seen before, and I don't know how to connect them. Something about a Black City, maybe where they came from. If I can sort out the images, the feelings, I might be able to provide more intel, but that's all I know at the moment." She sighed, opened her brown eyes, and looked at her hand that was still entangled with Conner's, drawing strength from the contact. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more help."

"Do not be so hard on yourself M'gann. You did all that you could." J'onn stated and put a hand on the young girl's shoulder, a soft smile on his face.

"Agreed. As Dick once said, new questions keep the investigation going. We'll look into this Black City and the portal you mentioned. Maybe Doctor Fate or Zatanna will know something. I doubt that their portal is technological in nature." Kaldur rubbed his chin in thought as he tried to process what M'gann had told them. "If you're able to attend M'gann, come down to the meeting hall in the next half hour. Your input will be invaluable in the long term, even if it only leads to more questions than answers."

"Alright." She paused then, and looked to her right, where Nightwing was still isolated. "How is he?" She said at last.

"Not good, which makes our search for answers all the more dire. While he is physically stable for the moment, it is only a matter of time before his situation deteriorates. However, we haven't observed any mental changes like we did with the cockroaches."

"Yet." Conner commented quietly. There was no reason to assume that whatever had changed the roaches wouldn't affect Dick in the same manner. Even he understood that a virus didn't differentiate in its attack pattern just because you were a different species, but he didn't want to upset M'gann further by saying so aloud.

"Cockroaches?" M'gann asked, confused, before she looked from one person to the other.

"Long story." Conner said simply before he softly squeezed her hand.

"We have time." M'gann cheerfully replied, a twinkle in her eyes that had the super clone smiling.

"I'll leave you two to it. I need to talk to Zatanna before the briefing." A subtle look passed between J'onn and himself before Kaldur walked away to find their sorceress supreme. He hoped she had left her mystic trance by now, that she was able to tell him what she had experienced down in those tunnels. Every scrap of information would help their cause in the long run.

He heard Martian Manhunter telling the couple his own excuse. "I also have… things to discuss with other League members. I will see you later M`gann."

Kaldur continued his way to Zatanna's room, and was a little surprised to see Doctor Fate leaving said room. The gold armored Lord of Order nodded his head to Kaldur but said nothing as he made his way down the hall. He had worn the Helmet of Fate, albeit briefly, and knew Nabu better than most. Kaldur had a grudging respect for the Lord of Order, for keeping the balance between Order and Chaos, but his need for a host body was not something the Atlantean condoned. While the one who put on the Helmet knew what they were getting into, ultimately, Nabu called the shots after the Helmet was put on, making it impossible to remove the helmet once it was on unless the spirit inside the powerful artifact allowed it. The only way Nabu would release Giovanni Zatara now, is if he died in the line of duty. Kaldur sincerely hoped that wasn't what was required for Zatanna to see her father again, but the chances of it being any other way were slim if Nabu had his way.

The Atlantean was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a hand fall on his shoulder, and turned and saw Zatanna standing in the doorway. "He...was worried about me." She explained when she saw his unspoken question. "Say what you want about Nabu, my father's still in there, somewhere."

"Indeed." Aqualad answered seriously before he moved the conversation away from such a sensitive topic. "I wanted to check up on you too, and ask you if you could give us any new insights about this threat at the briefing. About the more mystical side."

"I'll do what I can Kaldur, but there isn't much I can tell you since I'm still trying to check my sources. If you want to help me look through the books I have in here, knock yourself out, but the most I can tell you is that their magic was….wrong." She ran a hand through her long raven locks and sighed as she stepped aside, allowing Kaldur into her private quarters. Books lined one wall while arcane items from all over the world lined another. "The best example I can think of is Klarion's chaos magic, except this felt...darker, somehow. Less chaos and more evil intent. That and the spells they threw at my shield were especially draining, like they were reaching directly for me and not just chipping away at my defenses. It was...scary."

"I see, however Miss Martian provided us with some intel. She mentioned that these creatures apparently use some portal shaped like a doorway to get here. She called it an Eluvian. And something about a black city, does any of that sound familiar?" Kaldur asked her in his calm and patient fashion.

Zatanna perked up immediately as she looked towards her bookshelf and shot over to the other side of the room. "Black city, black city. I know I just saw that mentioned somewhere." She muttered, more to herself than anything as she tried to remember which book she had read the passage from as she swept her light blue eyes over her shelf before hesitantly reaching out for one of the books on her shelf.

While Kaldur trusted Zatanna, he hoped that she didn't confuse the desired information with a fantasy novel, though the Lord of the Rings book on her nightstand didn't exactly inspire confidence. "Are you sure you-"

"Found it." Zatanna said as she held up a thick, leather bound volume which she promptly deposited on a nearby table before flipping to the table of contents. "You know there are other worlds, other planes of existence besides this one Kaldur, unless they didn't cover that concept in the Atlantean Conservatory of Sorcery."

"They did, but that wasn't my primary focus. Others found it far more interesting than I." Kaldur admitted, even as a wistful glaze appeared in his eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Tula?" Zatanna hesitantly asked, and the Atlantean only nodded as she flipped to the appropriate page. Tula, another Atlantean that Kaldur had had feelings for once upon a time, had given her life, in much the same way that Wally had. She had used all of her considerable power to stop a summoning of a creature powerful enough to cover the world in a great flood, thus wiping out life as they knew it.

Sweeping her eyes over the page, Zatanna cleared her throat, bringing Kaldur back to the present before going over what the passage said. "It's less information than I had hoped for, but it's better than nothing. Apparently this black city is in some kind of non physical realm that is only inhabited by demons and spirits. Aside from that, it's only stated that you can see the Black City regardless of your position in this realm, there's no way into it that has been discovered. It is also unknown if this world is bonded to another and if it is, which one."

"What about the portal? Is there any mention about a doorway or portal?" He asked, and wasn't all that surprised when Zatanna shook her head.

"No, but I can keep looking. Without more to go on though, I don't think I'll be able to find anything before the briefing." Zatanna told him honestly, her hands subconsciously clutching the book tighter.

"Alright. Focus on the city. Maybe you'll get lucky and find the world it's connected to, if it **is **connected to one. Though I am curious, why do you even think that it is connected." Aqualad asked her a little confused, since he saw no reason as to why anything should have to be connected to any realm.

"This realm often changes appearances, and it always seems to depict something from the physical world. The world itself is shapeless, aside from the Black City, while the rest is formed by the demons and good spirits, but from where and how they get these reflections, I have no idea." Zatanna explained and took a shuddering breath. "I guess I better keep looking. Maybe I'll find something that can at least help Nightwing."

Kaldur reached out and gently squeezed the sorceress's shoulder as he focused his gaze on her face. "We **will **get through this Zatanna."

"I hope so Kaldur." Though even while she said so, she averted her eyes and crossed her arms. A clear sign that she wanted to be alone for now.

He only nodded his head, and shut the door behind him on his way out. She alone had given him much to think about. While he was proficient in the Atlantean school of combat sorcery, a combination of technology and magic that enabled him to manipulate water and electricity to fight his enemies, Zatanna was a true sorceress, and thus, she was far more intune with the mystical world than he could ever be. He hoped that connection would help them figure just what they were dealing with if all other methods proved inadequate.

**Main assembly hall, the Watchtower**

**August 20th, 2016**

**12;09 AM**

The entire team, plus every available League member, were assembled in the main hall. Everyone, from the Arrow Team that numbered the clone Roy Harper to the founder Oliver Queen, to the armor covered Hawks, Wonder Woman and her own protege, the Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart, and far more were there. Batman stood at the bend of the table, the de facto leader even though the Justice League had no official leadership structure. Everyone in the Watchtower had a voice, had skills that no one else possessed, and they worked together in common cause. Where they were strong alone, they were far more formidable together, and today, that solidarity would be needed more than ever if their suspected fears became reality.

Batman, the Dark Knight, the man that stalked Gotham's streets as one of the first vigilantes to rise in an effort to stem the tide of chaos that had threatened his home, was the first to speak, silencing the rest of the hall with his mere presence. This silence however, was born of hard won respect and unparalleled trust in most cases, because while the vast majority of the League and the covert team were comprised of super powered beings, he, Richard Grayson, Barbara Gordon, and Tim Drake had no powers whatsoever. Yet they had managed to stand toe to toe against beings that their super powered colleagues had had trouble with.

All that was in the past however. There was another invasion force, one that had arrived from beneath the surface of Gotham rather than beyond their stars, and they needed to devise a proper plan of action against these bestial brutes. Not only that, but they needed to deal with the new plague these monsters had apparently brought with them.

"What do we know for certain?" Batman asked as he turned his cowled gaze to Kaldur and his team mates, the same people that had first encountered the new threat.

M'gann chose to lead the discussion at Kaldur's silent prompting. "We know they're hostile. They are capable of coordinated assault, unless their chain of command is disrupted. Even then, they give way to their primal nature before the idea of surrender even enters their thoughts. They can't be reasoned with by all appearances." She paused though, but Conner's hand on the middle of her back gave her enough of a push to continue what she had learned. "I tried to link with them, to understand what they wanted, why they were here, but I was quickly overwhelmed. They are led by something that acts as a unifying force, leading its horde through a hive mind collective consciousness. The enemies we've faced are like bees, working together towards their goals."

"And what is that?" Batman asked, having a feeling he knew the answer as he pulled up a video recording from his son's wrist mounted computer, having pulled the data drive from Nightwing's uniform while he was being checked over by Martian Manhunter. The video showed just how ruthlessly efficient these creatures were from his son's perspective. What they saw only hardened his opinion of this latest threat to the world.

"I'm not sure, but from the sheer amount of rage I sensed before I was pulled under, it'd be safe to guess that they aren't interested in peaceful coexistence." M'gann replied, her tone calm even while her insides were twisted into knots. Not even Psimon terrified her as much as the monsters she had foolishly linked with. The psychic enforcer, while unquestionably evil in his intent, still had some measure of humanity.

"Then there's the new plague we've discovered about the same time. That **can't **be a coincidence." Artemis stated from beside Kaldur and Conner, her arms crossed over her bronzed color breastplate while her mask remained on her belt. Everyone knew who she was by now, there was no need to keep her identity a secret here.

"It's a mutagenic plague, although into what someone exposed to it will transform into seems to depend on their genetic disposition. The few tests we've run so far suggests that the more complex the lifeform, the longer it takes to convert them, provided it doesn't kill them first. Only the strong seem to survive the pain of being forcibly transformed by this plague."

"As for how it's spread….we think it's passed through the creatures' blood. Nightwing didn't start getting sick until after he took a mouthful by accident during our first engagement." Artemis said quietly as she looked away.

"It's an even greater threat than that. This virus has mystical components, which mean that it can infect anyone." Batman said gravelly and looked at everyone to make sure that they understood the ramifications. Only the few non corporal members, like Captain Atom, or non living members of the League, like their android heavy hitter Red Tornado, would be completely immune to the plague. Atom was completely comprised of energy, while Red was a sentient machine. Everyone else was a different matter. "We have no means to cure the plague, yet, but if you become exposed, come back to the Watchtower and we'll do what we can to slow it down until we find a viable way to neutralize it." The entire League nodded somberly at the news, not about to take a chance with this. No one wanted to imagine one of their close friends transformed into some kind of mindless creature. After letting that circulate among them for a moment, Batman turned to Zatanna and Doctor Fate. "Do we have any idea where they came from?"

"Thanks to Zatanna, we know that they are connected to an incorporeal realm. The only thing we know for certain is that there is a place called the Black City within this realm that is always within sight of those who visit this place, but there was little more other than the realm is inhabited by demons and spirits."

"Actually Kaldur, I found a little more after you left." Zatanna stated, drawing everyone's gaze on her as she stood to her feet before waving her hand across the control console in front of her. The holographic interface activated, and the viewscreen behind Batman changed from the video he had been showing the League, to a page from book that Zatanna had scanned for future reference. The script was almost illegible, but it was clear enough that everyone present could read it for themselves. "It's a partial transcript from something called the Chant of Light. The author doesn't mention how he got his hands on this much, but it and the following passage explains a little more of where they at least originated from."

_Those who had sought to claim Heaven by violence destroyed it._

_What was Golden and pure turned black._

_Those who had once been mage-lords,_

_The brightest of their age,_

_Were no longer men, but monsters_.

If the passage wasn't clear enough, the page itself changed before their eyes, showing several of the mentioned mage-lords becoming covered in darkness before being horrifically changed. In the background, the once beautiful city that had also been mentioned decayed and transformed as well, becoming corrupted much like the mages had.

"I'm gonna take a guess here and say this Golden City is now the Black City." The Flash, Barry Allen to his friends, said as he crossed his arms and regarded the page Zatanna had put up on the main screen. "Whether this is literal or religious based, it's somethin' to ponder at least."

"Doh! Come on grandpa, keep up!" Impulse, future grandson Bart Allen, grinned as he literally disappeared from sight before appearing by Zatanna's side a split second later, a powerful gust of wind following in his wake. "Black City, Golden City, does it matter where these things came from? We need to seriously crash their mode, then we can worry about the rest."

"He's right." Impulse was stunned into silence when Batman agreed with him. "While their origins might give us clues on how to deal with them, our main concern now should be in checking their advance. That's why we need to treat this as a hostile invasion. We cannot allow these things to spread. Stop them by any means."

"By any means? Or by any means that will have Nightwing back on his feet?" Superman asked, his tone suggesting that they were not one and the same thing. He held up a hand before Batman could try and argue with the kryptonian. "I'm not saying that we shouldn't push these things back with everything we have if they are as dangerous as they apparently are. I'm only saying that you're….too close to this one Batman."

"My judgment might be in question, but my intentions aren't Superman. While I am concerned by whatever has found its way into Nightwing, our first priority is the protection of Earth and her neighbors. From what we've seen so far, I am convinced that this is an invasion from a hostile entity, whose only concern is conquest." Only those with superhuman hearing could hear the slightest tremor in Bruce Wayne's voice as the otherwise cold as ice hero stood to his feet and looked at each and every one of them in turn. "If this threat is as great as we fear, we might have to consider extreme measures to stop it from getting out of hand."

"If these things are so similar to Parademons as we think, then I think we should employ the same means against them that our reality neighbors did." Flash said reluctantly, surprising everyone with his uncharacteristic seriousness. "Besides, didnt you kill Doomsday to save everyone else Supes?"

"He won't stay dead….but yes." Superman admitted, much to his great personal shame. It was no secret that violence was not something he partook in lightly, but Doomsday was one of the rare exceptions to his rule to try and find a non violent solution. The monster was too wild and bestial to be reasoned with, and was only interested in destroying everything in his path. The problem was that no matter how many times he fell, Doomsday always returned, stronger than his last incarnation. Last time, Superman had thrown the beaten and battered creature into the sun where he had hopefully been completely disintegrated and melted down to his subatomic parts. Unfortunately, that wouldn't work next time, if there was a next time. He honestly hoped there wasn't, but Superman wasn't about to hold his breath.

Pushing those dark thoughts to the back of his mind, the Smallville raised superhero sighed as he turned to his fellow heroes. "While I don't agree with what Flash proposed, I understand why you'd think it's necessary. But our first priority should always be the safety of any civilians that get caught in the crossfire first and foremost."

"No argument here." John Stewart replied, and crossed his arms over his chest as his partner nodded his head. "The Guardians might send us reinforcements if we need them, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that. The Lanterns have an entire galaxy to protect after all."

The Green Lantern Corps were the galactic scale version of the League. While they had partnered together in the past, the Corps outnumbered the League by thousands of members across the known galaxy, and they were largely respected by the citizens they protected as the ring bearers of the light of Will. Due to Vandal Savage's manipulation, despite charges having been dropped quite recently, the League were still considered outlaws across several planets.

Hal shrugged and waved his hand dismissively. "Meh, I think you're making this more than it is personally. Sure they're big and scary and they bring a plague with 'em, but how bad could they really be if they're still using rusty swords?"

"This coming from the guy who can't find his ring after going to the bathroom." John muttered under his breath, loud enough for his seat mates to hear him.

"That was one time!" Hal shot back, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment as the memory played back behind his masked face. "_Someone_ I won't name here thought it'd be funny to hide it." His gaze settled on Captain Marvel as he finished his comment.

"Hey don't look at me, I was at home with my Uncle Dudley." The only hero among them that was a child under his superhero guise, retorted in his defense. "You can even ask."

"Maybe I will kid." Hal shot back, tempted to fly off and do exactly that despite the dire situation brewing on the planet below.

"Enough!" Batman shouted, silencing the hall once again. "We have more important matters to discuss!" He growled out, and glared at both of them for their lack of focus. He wondered, and not for the first time, why he allowed some of the League members to stay when they acted like children, not that he had room to talk since he had indoctrinated three kids into the life of crime fighting. And all of them were on the covert ops team headed by Nightwing and Kaldur'ahm.

"Indeed." Wonder Woman finally spoke up. "Our world is in jeopardy, and we let ourselves become distracted by petty arguments. We must return to the matter at hand."

"Then what do you propose Wonder Woman?" Black Canary asked, almost as calm as Kaldur normally presented himself, giving ground to the Amazonian princess. Considering she was the League's certified psychologist, that wasn't all that surprising.

"We take the battle to them, go straight into the heart of their base and destroy the portal they came from." She stated matter of factly, as if it were the most obvious answer to their problem.

"Typical amazonian mindset." Hawkgirl muttered under her breath, earning her an elbow to her side from her husband for her rude comment.

"It has its merits, but we don't know where the portal is, or if it can be shut down without destroying everything around it." Black Canary replied thoughtfully, even as she partially agreed with Wonder Woman's proposal.

"So we need to find the portal, tag it with a tracer so we know where it is in case it is moved, and find a way to shut it down, or use it to take the fight to these creatures so they cannot attack us further." Kaldur rubbed at his chin as every eye fell on him and his team. "Is this not why you kept this team together Batman? The Justice League can create a distraction while we sneak behind enemy lines to try and locate the source of this invasion. If we cannot shut their portal down, we will try and find another way to stop this enemy from spreading beyond Gotham City. This is what we have trained for after all."

"I agree." Batman was the first to take a sharp intake of breath as Nightwing walked towards the table, apparently fine even as J'onn J'onzz tried to usher him back to the infirmary. He gently shook off the worried martian before walking to stand at Kaldur's side. "We can't just sit here and do nothing. And if this plague is as dangerous as we believe, then I'm living on borrowed time. I'd rather use what I have to do something worthwhile than be confined to a bed."

The silent exchange that took place between Kaldur and Batman didn't go unnoticed by Richard, but he said nothing as he looked to his dad. The mission might always come first to Bruce when the safety of the world was at stake, but when it came to his family, even the Dark Knight yielded to his desire to protect his family at any cost. For that, Richard was immensely proud and grateful to call the man his father, even if the thing Bruce kept inside him scared, rather terrified him, and made him question what Bruce was willing to sacrifice to see Earth protected. Even though that same instinct had found its way into Nightwing's subconscious, albeit to a lesser extent, Richard was still glad to have become a part of Bruce's family for far more than his aid in bringing down the men that had murdered his biological family.

Before another word could be said, an alert programmed into the Watchtower's computer core had everyone gazing at a live news feed. It became quickly apparent that trouble was stirring in Gotham City. "This is Iris West, reporting live from Wayne Tower!" Barry was on his feet in a heartbeat, but a look from Batman and a comforting hand on his shoulder from one of his fellow Leaguers stopped the man from running to the nearest zeta platform. While Iris continued talking, her camera man panned his towards one of the large windows, away from the charity ball that they had been covering earlier. The reason for Iris's panic became obvious when they saw what was happening in the streets below.

Cars were burning, people were fleeing in terror even as Red Tornado and several Leaguers that hadn't been in the Watchtower but had been listening to what was being said via their commlinks, did their best to hold back the encroaching horde. While they held them back, it was only a matter of time before the League members already in Gotham were overrun if their enemies didn't relent as more and more of the monsters pushed their way out of the sewers at seemingly every intersection. The few people they weren't able to save were either dragged down into the dark by more of the creatures, or were killed there in the street, butchered like animals as sword and claw made short work of those too weak to defend themselves.

"As you can see, the League is doing all they can to evacuate as many people out of danger as they can, but whatever has risen out of the sewers seems to have no intention of slowing their advance as more and more crawl out of the tunnels below despite heavy losses on their side." It was then that Red Tornado took a powerful lightning blast to the center of his chest, short circuiting the powerful android before he fell to the ground in a heap, the tornado he had been generating that had allowed him his flight disappearing about the same time. Icon, Guardian, and the rest were there to pick up the slack as the 'real' Roy Harper, the once named Speedy, now known as Arsenal, covered their retreat while Icon and Guardian dragged the damaged synthetic between them.

Arsenal lived up to his name as his cybernetic arm opened up and revealed the Lexcorp industrial laser contained within, which he used to lay waste to the creatures in front, slicing them in two wherever the red beam touched them. "Go! I got this!" Roy shouted before pulling one of his stolen Reach staff weapons from his back. "Let's dance." The archer said in challenge before he charged into the leading monsters, firing with every step.

Batman had seen enough by then, and turned to address those that had gathered, only to find most of them were already in the process of gathering their equipment as they scattered across the Watchtower. Most of them made a beeline for the armory or their living quarters, while those like Hal Jordan, who carried all they needed or were born with superhuman abilities, simply went for the zeta beam platforms at the other end of the hall. He was unsurprised that Conner, M'gann, Kaldur, Richard, Jaime, and the rest of the covert ops team were among the number beaming down to Gotham.

"Race you to Wayne Tower!" Impulse cheerfully called over his shoulder before disappearing in the bright flash of the zeta beam transporting him and several others to the city the next instant.

"See you in Gotham." Kaldur stated, calm as ever before he too disappeared with M'gann, Conner, and several more.

That left Richard and a handful of Leaguers that were only then returning to the hall before making their way to the platforms as well. Bruce had other ideas however as he stopped before his son and put a hand on his shoulder. Richard didn't let him say a word though before he spoke up first. "I know what you're going to say, but I can't just sit back and do nothing."

"I know Richard." Bruce replied, before pulling the young man into a one arm hug, which surprised Dick more than a little until he felt the dart pierce the side of his neck. Dick was asleep on his feet long before he knew what had happened. "That's why I can't let you go, not like this." He whispered before turning to Wonder Woman and Black Canary, who were the few that had seen Batman sedate one of his own children.

Before he could defend his actions, Dinah spoke first. "You don't have to explain yourself to us Bruce. He's your son, and no matter how you try to hide it, you love him and the rest of your family deeply. You'd be willing to do almost anything to protect them."

"That does beg the question, what do you plan to do now?" Diana asked quietly while she finished tying her lasso to her belt. Cassie had already gone ahead with the rest of the team, and while she trusted in Wonder Girl's ability to stand on her own, she hoped that whatever Batman had planned for Richard wouldn't take too long. For all of her discipline and control, she was an amazonian, and there was a clear enemy on the field waiting to be defeated.

Batman looked to the two women as he slung the unconscious Nightwing over his shoulder before going to the nearest zeta platform. "I plan to talk to Victor Fries. His understanding of cryo technology will hopefully slow down the infection long enough for us to find a cure."

"And if he doesn't want to talk?" Wonder Woman asked, her disdain for this idea easily heard in her voice.

"Then I'll make him listen." Batman retorted sharply, before he finished inputting Mister Freeze's last known coordinates into the computer before he waited for the platform to take him down.

_**End Notes;**_ _One thing I never liked about Young Justice was how they portrayed the titular ice villain Mr. Freeze. His 'family' I liked, Icicle Jr and Killer Frost especially, but as for Fries himself? Not so much. To me, he was always the man willing to do anything for his wife, Nora, who was struck down by a disease which Victor has since dedicated his every waking moment to finding a cure for. At any rate, I hope you guys enjoy and I'll see ya next time. Adios and fave, review, and follow lol._


	3. A Cold Reception

**Opening Notes;** _I want to give a shout out to __**Nomand-117 **__for his considerable contribution to this particular chapter. Most of the opening section, as well as a good chunk of the battle in Gotham's streets, was his. At any rate, enjoy folks!_

**Episode 3; A Cold Reception**

**Alaska, Abandoned Oil Platform**

**August 20th, 2016**

**12;18 AM**

Batman emerged from the zeta beam platform, Nightwing still slung over his shoulder, and after a brief observation of his surroundings, he began to make his way towards an abandoned building that he knew served as Dr. Victor Fries aka ´s, current hideout. He had various reasons for not coming here sooner, such as having to deal with other Arkham escapees, the Joker just to name one of many. Another fact was that despite all their previous battles Freeze was far from being unreasonable.

Every action he took was calculated, with the goal of rescuing his frozen wife Nora Fries, who suffered from a terminal disease and who would remain frozen until her husband could find a way to cure her. Batman respected such dedication to one's family, in fact he shared this ideal with his adversary. It was probably one of the few reasons why they were able to work together, no matter how briefly such a partnership lasted, in the past.

He counted on this quality that they shared in the hope that Freeze would help him to cure Nightwing. Even if it meant freezing his son in all but blood temporarily. He wouldn't give up on his family no matter what. With this in mind he simply pushed the door that led into a long deserted hallway open.

Freeze would now undoubtedly know of his coming, as he intended, it was his way of showing the cryogenic villain that he was not here to fight him. He cautiously continued forward however. Just because he had announced himself didn't mean that Freeze wouldn't attack him. Their last meeting hadn´t been on friendly terms to say the least, but he was reasonably certain that Freeze wouldn't attack him outright, at least not by lethal means. In his head he went through several scenarios to keep Nightwing safe while he battled the icy villain, though none of them would work if Freeze really would want to hurt his son. But he had no other choice so he marched onward, towards a confrontation that would happen one way or another.

He reached the door to the basement without trouble and walked down into the darkness, knowing that Victor would hide beneath the building in case of any curious 'visitors' that may decide to drop by. At the end of the steps was a heavy steel door that was secured by an electronic lock, no doubt of Freeze´s own design, and above the door he could make out the shape of a small camera.

"Open the door, Victor. You know why I'm here." Batman declared gravely, his gaze impassive and hiding the inner turmoil that raged within his mind. Despite all his apparent calmness he was prepared to simply blow up every obstacle between him and the brilliant scientist whose aid he sought, if necessary. On his shoulder the prone form of his son groaned in his sleep, unknowingly urging him to hurry.

After several seconds of agonizing silence the door unlocked and swung open. He stepped through and was unsurprised to hear the door behind him close again. After a short moment he heard the lock snap back into place. In front of him was another hallway, although this one was much better maintained than its counterpart above.

On the walls he could see the glittering of ice crystals. If there had been any doubt before, it was gone now. He walked down the hallway, with each step the air seeming to grow colder. Something that he had expected since Freeze´s body could only survive in subzero temperatures, and he couldn't wear his body armor the whole time. Although there was no doubt in Batman's mind that Freeze would be prepared when he confronted him.

At last he stood before the last door between him and one of his most dangerous opponents. He opened it and stepped through without a hint of hesitation. He took in the room in a split second before he focused his undivided attention on Freeze who stood in the centre of the room, and was as predicted clad in his high-tech armor. Everything was covered in ice and at the far end of the room, he could see the cryogenic container that held Nora herself, frozen in time and body.

"What do you want Batman?" asked with more than a hint of hostility, his freeze gun aimed in his direction but not directly at him. Though Bruce knew that this could change in a moment's notice. For a man of his considerable size and stature, Victor was fast and very accurate with his preferred weapon.

"We have to talk Victor." Batman answered solemnly, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. Freeze would help him, one way or another.

"What do you want from me, Batman? I am certain it is related to your young companion that you brought with you." Freeze said, this time with more curiosity than hostility as he lowered his gun ever so slowly.

"I'm sure that you're aware of the recent chaos that is currently spreading through the streets of Gotham. As far as we're aware, it's caused by a species from another plane of existence. They seem to spread a magic based mutagenic virus-"

"So you came to me, in hopes that I would help you to rescue your protege, or at least put him in a cryogenic slumber like my wife." Freeze quickly deduced, before his expression hardened and he asked. "Tell me Batman, why should I do that for you?"

"Victor, I know that despite all our battles, you are not blinded by hate for me. But if you require a reason, Nora was more than once 'removed' from your care, and the perpetrators forced you to work for them in exchange for her continued survival. And every time I brought her back to you. You _owe_ me, and now, it´s time to pay up." Batman growled, one hand supporting his son while the other was clenched into a fist.

Freeze regarded him for a moment before he nodded. "Then let's not waste anymore time."

**Gotham City, Connecticut**

**August 20th, 2016**

**12;32 AM**

To say that chaos reigned in the streets of Gotham would have been a colossal understatement. The creatures that had appeared so suddenly roamed the streets, filling the air with arrows and magical projectiles, trying to escape the sudden onslaught were panicking civilians, who did their best to escape this new enemy that had so suddenly appeared. The police had long since been deployed and the officers tried their best to protect as many people as possible and push the creatures back. Unfortunately the local gangs decided to join the fight, either to protect their territory or in the hopes of expanding theirs in the chaos.

They shot at everything that they perceived as a threat, the police, the creatures, members of other gangs, and more than once civilians got caught in the crossfire. This was the situation the team found themselves in when they arrived at Gotham. Of course their arrival only added to the chaos, and the fighting was even more than a nightmare than expected, due to the many abandoned cars that littered the streets. And every car could serve as a hiding place for creature or man, and various attacks of all kinds had set many vehicles ablaze.

Even with the arrival of the League and their proteges, the tide was slow to change. Impulse thought he had seen death and destruction on a massive scale before, but this was different. The Reach and their Beetle Warriors had been his future's masters, but even they hadn't needlessly slaughtered everything in their path. The world he had left behind had been in ruins sure, but this was different. Running through the crowds at top speed, Impulse and his uncle Barry did their best to keep the monsters from forming ranks as they kept the horde off balanced with hit and run tactics at near light speed. "Just what are these guys gramps?!"

"Don't know kid, but we can't let them keep running havoc. We need to keep them off balance as much as possible." Flash countered as he and Impulse slammed into the front ranks again and again, their speed keeping them twenty steps ahead of any counter attack the monsters could hope to put together as arrows and spells were thrown in their general direction.

Though he saw that not everyone was killed, some of the captured civilians were dragged underground. With a shudder he thought that these were the unlucky ones. For whatever purpose these things had kept them alive, it was certainly nothing good. The greatest threats were the giant horned brutes, but Superman and Superboy were more than up for the task against the heavy hitters. "Triple combo!" Conner jumped into the Man of Steel's hands and he was tossed into the closest of the giants, toppling the beast with a punch to the jaw that shattered more than a few of its razor sharp teeth before springing off of it to land on a second, and a third. The chaos they had sown alone broke another line of the creatures, but more kept coming.

They had learned early to avoid any hits from these creatures, the sickness which shaped their bodies had infused them with small amounts of magic, enough to keep the Kryptonians on their toes. Open wounds and blood contact was to be avoided at all costs, unless they wanted to be the next drooling ravenous beast on the field, a thought that had done more to terrify them than any enemy before as Superman let loose with controlled blasts of his heat vision. Unlike Superboy, he hoped by displaying his superiority, they'd be loath to throw themselves at him. Quite the opposite happened however as everytime he blasted the ground in front of them, they came at him all the harder.

"Hey, you really need to drop the kid gloves, Boy Scout." Arsenal sneered as he brought his laser to bear. Unlike most of his former 'friends', he wasn't squeamish about getting his hands dirty. Even so, he growled when his cybernetic arm started to flash a warning at him, letting him know that he was about out of power for the advanced prosthetic. "Have a battery I could borrow?" He joked, even as he pulled out one of his more traditional weapons from the pack on his back. Before long, the air was filled with arrows fired from his red painted longbow. Unlike Ollie and the clone's quiver full of trick arrows, Arsenal had dispensed with the non lethal ones when he had gone solo. Every shot saw another enemy dropped to the concrete, never to rise again.

His statement was punctuated when a group of SWAT officers rounded the corner and let loose with a hail of bullets that struck the nearest monsters. They still kept coming but it seemed like killing them would more likely grant success than simply knocking them out. For all their inferior technology they were not to be underestimated, a fact that was illustrated when the creatures that ambushed the officers in a nearby tunnel seemed to appear from the shadows closest to the SWAT team.

As if sensing that these were the easier targets, they focused all their attention on killing their non-powered opponents. They attacked and vanished in the shadows, and attack again from another angle, again and again. And each time they either wounded a surprised officer or dragged him off into the shadows. The attacks stopped though when Kaldur and Artemis rushed to their rescue, the Atlantean's Water Bearers primed and already shaped in the form of twin curved blades. "Glad to see you agree we can't hold back on these freaks!" Artemis shouted over the din of battle, easily keeping pace with the physically stronger water dweller.

"Focus more on the fight than who was right Tigress." Kaldur shot back, while deflecting the sword of one of the taller creatures. Its armor looked like it was made from human bones, and its face seemed to glow in sadistic pleasure. Even as his blade drove through its chest, the almost ecstatic glee never left the creature's gaze as Kaldur yanked back and turned to engage another. He felt sick to his stomach, but he was a soldier first, he understood what it meant to take life even if it rarely ever came up in his hero life.

He had simply reacted, like his instructors in Atlantis had taught him. "When you are in the heat of battle, trust your instincts." They had told him, and his instincts told him to kill these monsters. As much as he wanted to think otherwise, something deep inside told him that these creatures were never meant to have existed in the first place. They were a true abomination of nature, of life itself, and the only recourse was to send them back to whatever hole they crawled out of.

Despite her bravado, Artemis wasn't faring as well as she had made herself sound. Her life had led up to her being raised as the next Crock criminal, but she had been rescued by Oliver from the life of crime her father would have forced her into. And now she was forced to kill to defend herself and her friends? This went against everything she had tried to get away from by joining the team, by becoming a part of something truly good and noble. But when you had a monster swinging a giant battle axe at your head, you tend to forget the small things and simply fight back with everything you had. To that end, Artemis only gave the creature that now had a new hole in its neck from one of her crossbow bolts a passing look before spinning like a top, her right leg leading in a snap kick before slamming her elbow into a third's face.

"Good job baby girl, I always knew you had it in ya." Artemis gritted her teeth when an all too familiar blonde headed man stepped out of a nearby alley. She didn't waste more than a passing glance as Crusher, once known as Sportsmaster, also known as her father, Lawrence Crock, bull rushed one of the armored brutes to the ground before stomping on its neck. The sickening sound of bone crunching was drowned out by the roar of another creature, but the assassin merely smirked behind his mask. As the gold armored monster rushed him, Crusher pulled one of the many weapons he carried, revealing one of probably a dozen spears he kept on his person, and casually threw it at the charging enemy. It detonated on impact, sending it and several of its fellows to the ground. The few that were still able to fight didn't get a chance as he and Tigress took them apart. "Still holding back I see." Lawrence grunted once the fight was over.

"Thanks for the help dad, now piss off." The blonde archer growled over her shoulder before running to catch up with Kaldur.

"You can run all you like Artemis, but you'll always be a Crock." Lawrence called after her before seeking out more enemies. Today promised to be full of fun opportunities.

"Okay, remember I said these guys were going to be pushovers?!" Hal shouted as he and Jon laid waste to everything between them. Hal had brought out the big guns early as he dual wielded a pair of mini guns formed from the light of his ring, shredding everything unfortunate enough to be in front of him. "Hit me in the face next time I open my big mouth!"

"Remind me when this is over!" John shouted back before going for a more practical approach and simply sweeping a beam of emerald energy over the street, leaving a giant gouge in the concrete wherever it touched. When the smoke cleared, he had to physically drag Hal out of range of a bolt of ice that just clipped the senior Green Lantern on his right shoulder. The frigid cold left the limb heavy, unmoving, but otherwise he was fine. Even so, John made it a point to surround himself in a bubble of emerald light, ensuring any future attacks didn't get close. "Thicken your shield! We just became prime targets!"

Taking up sniper position on a distant rooftop, Oliver and the clone Roy were busy with their own fight as they rained down trick arrows on the horde below. "I'm all for shooting fish in a barrel but this is ridiculous!" Roy shouted as another creature and several of its allies were encased in quick hardening foam. He barely paid them a second glance, having already fired three more arrows into another group in the time it took the foam to expand and harden completely.

"Just keep them from getting out of hand as much as possible." Oliver replied calmly, even if he agreed with his partner's assessment. They'd run out of arrows long before they ran out of things to shoot.

"Well, it could be worse." Roy said with a shrug. He immediately regretted his words when a creature burst out of the stairwell they had used to get up to the roof of the building.

Oliver turned and looked at him like he was crazy. "Did you seriously just say that? You never say that!"

"Oh come on, it's just one guy." Roy groaned when he saw several more rushing up the stairs behind the scout they had sent ahead. "_Don't_ say a word."

From the streets, they heard someone scream. "Incoming!" And as they turned back they saw multiple fireballs flying towards the building they had taken residence on. When they impacted on multiple floors below them, the two heroes could soon feel the heat of the explosion as every window was blasted apart. Hungry flames began to eat their way through the building, and inexorably towards them. The two archers shared a look before they jumped off the roof at the same time, their next arrows loaded with grapple shots which they used as soon as they were clear to attach themselves to the building across the street. Holding on for dear life, they swung through a window and rolled to a stop in an abandoned office.

"Look at what you've done!" Oliver groused and pointed at the burning building.

"Don't blame that on me! I wasn't the one that set the building on fire!" Roy shouted back, irritated more than anything as he shook out his costume in an effort to get rid of the glass shards he could feel poking at him. "It's gonna take forever to get the smell of smoke out of this thing, again."

"And here I thought today was going to be boring." Both archers turned and drew back on their bows when an all too familiar female voice purred from the shadows. Roy mentally kicked himself when he recognized the white and red striped mask before Cheshire revealed herself. "Don't look like you're unhappy to see me Red Arrow. After all, someone needs to keep you alive."

"How'd you find us Jade?" Roy hissed through his teeth as he lowered his bow, while Oliver kept his trained on the League of Shadows assassin.

Cheshire merely shrugged and twirled one of her sai through her fingers. "The tracker I slipped in your quiver when you were babysitting our baby girl does wonders for locating you."

"Baby girl?" Green Arrow managed to choke out, his mind having trouble comprehending what he had just heard. "Is there something you want to tell me Roy?"

"At the moment? No." Roy replied simply.

"Nevermind. Let's just focus on the evil things running rampant beneath us, okay?" Green Arrow more decided than asked, nonetheless he received an answer from both of them.

"Okay." They replied simultaneously.

Meanwhile, on street level, M'gann and Beast Boy were knee deep in shriekers, as they had been nicknamed by the young shapeshifter that was currently in the form of a green furred gorilla. _You know sis, when you promised you'd take me to the city, you forgot to mention the monster problem._ Garfield joked, even as he grabbed one of the smaller ones and tossed it into a group of its friends.

_Can we talk about this when we aren't being surrounded by murderous beasts?_ M'gann asked, her eyes bright green as she raised her hands before a wave of telekinetic force slammed into the assassin like creatures that had ambushed them when they had gone to try and assist another SWAT team. They had arrived just as the last of the officers were dragged into the sewers, only to be set upon by the same creatures that had overwhelmed them.

_Noted._ Garfield agreed, backhanding one of the few that were left into a mailbox that had somehow survived everything else that had happened that night. _Heh, look at that. Air mail._

_Oh Garfield._ For one of his jokes, that had been one of his more corny ones, but M'gann was glad he at least was able to smile despite everything happening around them. She knew that she would never be able to forget the screams of the people that they were unable to save. She just hoped that Garfield would, he was far too young to be burdened by such things.

Her distraction nearly cost her as Garfield screamed in their mental link before pushing her aside at the last second. M'gann recovered just in time to see one giant paw around one of the bigger creature's throat while his other hand was wrapped around his sword arm. It was only then she saw the flames that enshrouded the curved blade as it fell from the beast's limp hand from Garfield's crushing grip. _No one lays a hand on my sister!_ With that, Beast Boy lifted the monster above his head and tossed him through a car window.

The Amazons were having better luck as Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl tore into anything stupid enough to get in their way. "For Themiscyra!" The Princess of the Amazons roared, having brought along her sword and shield for this occasion, and both had already been tested against the horde and had held up as she knew they would. The gods were on their side, and from the numerous corpses around them, no one was about to argue the point. "Stay on your guard Cassie. They might be mindless beasts, but they are still formidable warriors." Diana said as she blocked a sword strike before slamming her shield into the offender's face before following that with a skilled twirl of her sword that saw the creature's head removed from its shoulders.

"Right!" Cassie called back, using the bracers on her arms to block while her fists did the rest in incapacitating anything that got too close. Her reflexes were sharp enough that arrows were harmlessly deflected with ease. Magic was another story as a lightning bolt sailed past her cheek, making her blonde hair stand on end. "Sheesh! I'm really starting to hate these guys!"

"Calm yourself and stand strong. We will prevail. Amazons don't know the meaning of the word surrender. We either break them here or die trying."

"Thanks for the pep talk." Cass said with a roll of her eyes, even if she agreed with her mentor to some degree. She didn't plan on dying today though.

Diana wanted to say more but stopped when the air around them seemed to grow colder by the second. "What's going on?!"

"That!" Cassie shouted before all but dragging Diana out of the danger zone just as a small blizzard kicked up where they had just been standing. Once they had flown clear of the area, the young warrior pointed to the source of the powerful storm that had appeared around them. With a nod shared between them, they flew past the ice spikes and arctic blasts that would have made short work of them, and boldly rushed the enemy spellcaster. They hit him with such force that almost every bone in his body was shattered when he hit the wall of a building twenty feet away.

"Is it just me or are these things getting smarter?!" Hawk Girl roared as she brought her mace to bear on one of the horned brutes. Its big head made for an ample target, and even without the nth metal belt around her waist, she was sure her mace and her considerable strength would have been enough to take the monster down without her ability to fly augmenting her strike. As it was, the creature's face became pulp as the small, sharp spikes on her weapon's head bit deep, while the energy crackling through the metal ball did further damage.

Her answer was provided when another of the horned giants picked up one of its companions, and at some hidden signal, threw the sword carrying creature with uncanny accuracy. Shayera Hol would have lost a wing if not for her husband's timely intervention as he swatted the living missile aside with a swing of his own mace. "You had to ask." He grunted in reply, a wry grin on his face despite how close that had been.

Black Canary was having better luck as she used one of the shriekers as a shield, twisting this way and that, her arm locked around one of its bladed joints, just shy of the blade itself. A kick here brought a humanoid, armored warrior down, while a quick dodge to the right and a back step made sure the following sword slash from one of its fellows cut the creature's arm off instead of her head. Her shield went down a moment later as the same sword swinger tried to hit her again, only to miss a second time as she pole vaulted over his head, forcing his sword arm out wide, striking the shrieker in the back at the same time. The moment she landed, her legs outstretched and her hand spread out before her, Dinah was on her feet in a heartbeat just as a the monster got its weapon free from its companion's back.

She didn't give him time to use it a third time as she opened her mouth wide, and put the dead shrieker to shame when she gave voice to a scream of her own. One that was powerful enough to bend and even destroy metal, and blast the monster and several of its companions off their feet as wave after wave of sonic disruption left her throat. When she was done with that group, she scanned the area for a second, not about to leave her friends to fight this battle alone.

Zatanna was busy high above the city, using her magical senses to try and locate the source of this pestilence. Her eyes glowed bright white and her raven haired danced as arcs of blue energy coalesced around her. Doctor Fate had erected a golden dome of protective energy, ensuring that nothing save a Lord of Chaos could be able to touch her as he flew down to aid his beleaguered allies in the League. At least these creatures were unable to fly, so far.

She was oblivious to everything around her though as she cast her mind out of her body, following the mystical ley lines that ran through Gotham like a spider's web. Most of them led to sources of power she was all too familiar with, but there was one, as twisted and corrupt as the monsters themselves, that she was interested in. While the vast majority of ley lines were gold, green, a few of them were even dark blue, the one she was following was pitch black. It was like staring at a river of tar, except tar didn't try to reach out and ensnare you before dragging you under.

She was careful not to touch it in any event, even in astral form in the chance it tried to attack her or something equally unpleasant, as she followed it into the sewers and beyond. "Where are you taking me?" She mused aloud, knowing no one could hear her as she continued to fly through thick layers of concrete, stone, pipes, and eventually natural stone caverns that ran through the city underground in a maze of its own.

She saw things that chilled her blood as the dark monsters herded their recently acquired captives and shoved picks and crude digging implements into their hands, making it clear what they wanted. If someone foolishly disobeyed, the offender was cut down right there before the rest of the horde fell on the remains, tearing the victim to pieces in their mad scramble to gorge themselves. She wanted to throw up, but Zatanna forced herself to continue on her journey into the abyss. They needed a destination, and she was one of the few that could find it with everyone else busy trying to save a city that in her mind, was already lost.

Still in her astral form, she continued through the tunnels, the black ley line she followed splitting up more than once. She followed it more than once into a dead end, literally as she saw the enemy sorcerers perform cruel rituals on the unfortunate souls, and knew that she could do nothing to stop them. Not yet at least.

As she followed the line and its various branches, she couldn't believe the extent of the tunnels beneath Gotham. Countless caves, some of them manmade, others left behind by nature itself, and every last one seemed to be crawling with these monsters. She didn't know how long she had looked for the source of all of this, how many horrors she was forced to witness as these things continued to defile everything they laid hands on, but eventually she felt a sudden surge of magical power.

One of the black lines seemed to pulse for a moment with pure all encompassing darkness before it was once again indistinguishable from those around it. With narrowed eyes, she followed this one, the sound of armored feet echoing through the tunnels in front of her. Even though her rational mind knew that these creatures couldn't see or feel her, she crouched down and tip toed towards whatever had cause this magical impulse.

Zatanna had seen a lot in her time with the team and the League, but she never would have expected a huge cavern beneath what she guessed was the Arkham Asylum. In the centre of the room was a huge mirror like object, but the surface which was usually used to reflect showed many places, always changing sometimes it was just another cave, sometimes a grand hall, a forest, than a cave again.

At its feet were more people, but there was something different about them. Then it hit her. Homeless, the forgotten of every major city on Earth, had been the first victims of this plague. With a start Zatanna realized that these things had been here longer than they thought. They had probably been abducted people long before the League ever heard of them. The first casualties in a city of millions, and no one had noticed. On the other hand, Gotham City had its share of homeless just like every major city, so the fact that even the League hadn't noticed didn't surprise the mage quite as badly. But every life was precious, every life was worth saving, and to see these people like this….it gave the young woman yet another reason to end this nightmare as quickly as possible.

The people themselves looked ill, pale feverish skin, the eyes always searching for what she didn't know, all quietly murmuring to themselves, but she couldn't make out what was being said. Every last one of these people used the crude tools they were supplied with to create an altar-like structure beneath the mirror. She could already make out several ornaments on the platform it stood upon. Though they looked like ornaments for a psychotic murderer, the scenes depicted only showed what she guessed were the same beasts that attacked them, killing countless people.

Corpse strewn battlefields that were so tainted that not even the vultures dared to feed upon the fallen. Cities razed to the ground, burning buildings and more, the killing just didn't seem to end, each adornment revealed a new cruelty. She was so fixated on the pictures that were engraved in stone that she at first didn't even notice that the mirror like thing flashed once before depositing a new group of monsters.

When she did notice however, she was quick to see that they had brought slaves with them, and they appeared to be human too. However, these looked even more sickly than the beggars who were still working on the altar. They had numerous festering boils upon their bodies, their eyes glassed over and they were all disturbingly thin.

Zatanna finally shook herself out of her stupor and continued towards the mirror. She hoped she could find a way to disable it before more of these things were able to set foot into the caves, or at least, that was what she hoped for anyway.

That proved to be a mistake however as she soon found out. When she stood three feet away from the mirror, the monsters stopped marching and turned towards her as though they could see her. Before she could wonder what had happened, she felt as though her limbs had been grabbed with incredible force, and she was slowly dragged towards the mirror. Against her will, one hand touched its surface. For an infinitely long moment, nothing happened, and then her mind was almost shattered by the onslaught of the voice of the being on the other side.

_I see you, little mage._ The voice boomed in her head, the sadistic glee of the creature communicating with her was palpable. Zatanna would have grabbed her head if possible, but as it was she could only let loose a soundless scream in her mind. A sinister chuckle was the only answer to the pain she had to endure.

_Did you really believe that you would remain hidden forever? _ The voice taunted her, underlying hatred resonated within it. _Tell your world of my coming, for I have lain claim to it. The end is nigh, and your souls shall be mine._

The mental pain stopped for a moment and Zatanna gasped for breath during the short moment of peace. She had only enough time for single breath however as a blinding light emerged from the mirror. The next thing she knew was that her astral form was flung back into her body and the golden dome that Doctor Fate had cast to protect her shattered from the powerful backwash of magical energies.

Barely conscious, she fell towards the earth, too exhausted to cast a spell to save herself. Before she could hit the ground though, she felt herself caught by a pair of hands. When she looked up at her saviour she saw the familiar helmet of Nabu, and beneath it the eyes of Giovanni Zatara. "Father." Zatanna said as she weakly tried to grasp him, but she fell unconscious before she could do so.

**Undisclosed Location, Earth**

**August 20th, 2016**

**1;07 AM**

Vandal Savage and what remained of the Light had gathered to discuss the unfolding chaos in Gotham City. The immortal hated surprises, hated the very idea that someone or something had taken it upon themselves to invade what he considered his world. He had lived on Earth for over fifty thousand years, and he wasn't about to hand it over without a fight. All of his years of planning, all of his scheming to ensure humanity developed along the path _he _desired would not be undone now, especially with someone as powerful as Darkseid waiting for what had been promised.

Turning to one of the monitors that surrounded him, Vandal folded his massive hands behind his back and regarded the recently revived Ra's Al Ghul. The undisputed leader of the League of Shadows was uncommonly tense at the news he had received about the situation in Gotham, making Savage wonder if he was worried about his people, or perhaps one in particular. Whatever the case, he didn't linger on it for long since they were in agreement about one thing, they needed to end this new threat. The question up for debate however, was whether or not they fought beside their arch rivals, the Justice League, or let them fall one by one to the horde that was even then, attempting to overwhelm them.

"As many times that the League, and by association, their proteges have disrupted our plans, we cannot ignore the fact that a few of our members have personal ties with the heroes." This Vandal directed at Black Manta, the human outcast and leader of the Black Manta organization, before turning to the gathered members of the Light as a whole. "With that in mind, I believe our best strategy would be to aid the League only so far as to help them eliminate this new threat. They are still essential for our future plans, and as such, should be kept alive at all cost."

"Well I don't like it." Klarion pouted and turned his head to the side, appearing for all intents and purposes, to be pouting. "I say we let them get splattered by these guys so we can have some real fun." The annoyed meow from a cat somewhere behind the powerful Chaos Lord had Klarion sighing in exasperation. "Oh fine, we can help the wonder brats and the old farts, but I still say we should just let them get killed off. Stupid cat."

"It has often been said that it is better to deal with the devil you know than a new, potentially more powerful adversary." Ra's began slowly, calmly despite the underlying tension they could detect in his voice, earning a nod of mild approval from the immortal before he continued. "If you wish my advice Vandal, then we need to assist the League in containing and stopping this new enemy in its tracks. I vote we not only assist them in this endeavor, but we throw every available resource into stopping this pestilence before it has a chance to spread beyond Gotham. Even without the presence of this mutagenic plague we've learned these beings carry, they are still a clear and present danger to our way of life and our future plans."

"I agree." Black Manta replied, his face hidden by his imposing black mask with its giant red eyes. "We cannot afford to show mercy or leniency against these abominations. Despite the fact my son fights besides the League, I would still say the same thing in regards to this invasion. They were foolish enough to step onto our world, and they shall pay the ultimate price for their insolence."

"The potential of this plague is practically limitless." Lex Luthor chimed in, a thoughtful look on his face as he regarded his fellows in crime from his own monitor room. "If we could get a viable sample, we could potentially weaponize it for future use against the League, but if it proves too volatile, Lexcorp and Star Labs could just as easily begin work on a counter agent. From a business standpoint alone however, we have much to gain and little to lose. I vote we assist the League, if for no other reason that as much of a headache they've become, this is our world as well. It wouldn't do to have an unknown force to overrun it after all."

"Very well. I will leave that task to your company Luthor, but for now, we will stand united in the Light. Gather our forces gentlemen, we go to war against this invasion." Vandal declared, and as one, the monitors switched off, enveloping the circular chamber in darkness. His mind was a whirl as he stepped out of the chamber, planning to make a few calls of his own. Professor Ivo and his robotic creations would make good foot soldiers against this invasion, and then there were the Terror Twins, just to name two operatives that Vandal had plans to throw against this latest problem. The thought of entering battle personally however thrilled the immortal to no end. Despite his age, despite everything he had seen and experienced over the eons, fighting was still the greatest test of his prowess he could think of, and what better opportunity would he get than this? His decision made, Vandal made it a point to stop in his considerable sized armory, where weapons from every age, awaited him, plus more than a few he or others had created over the years. If he was going to war, then he needed the right implements for the job.

**Infinity Island, League of Shadows HQ**

While Vandal Savage was preparing for battle, Ra's was doing the same from the temple that housed his legendary assassins. Men and women from around the world, united in upholding the natural law of the world, despite some changes to their mandate now that he, and thus they, were a part of the Light. They still dispensed hard, unforgiving justice where it was due, while advancing their own agendas, but they also worked alongside the other members of the Light, ensuring that Earth would one day become the center of the galaxy.

Looking down into the courtyard from the balcony, Ra's looked to his left and sent a silent prayer to his daughter, Talia, who was already on her way to Gotham to no doubt assist Batman personally in the fight, before turning his gaze to the gathered warriors. "We have been called to war. Such a thing has not happened before, but the fate of our world is at stake. The rumors you have heard are true, and that this new threat is like no other we have encountered before. But you are shadows, striking from the darkness when our enemies least expect it. But today I must ask you to do more than we have before." To a man, the assassins roared their approval, their desire to follow Ra's to the very bowels of Hell and back if that was what it took. Ra's let a small, warm smile encompass his face at his people's willingness to protect their home world, to stand beside him in this endeavor.

**Lexcorp, Metropolis HQ**

Lex Luthor folded his hands under his chin before he activated his comm line to his new head of security. "Thomas, I need you to gather the boys. I'm planning a trip to Gotham, and I hear the streets are rather dangerous these days. Also, be sure to have R & D prepare the new prototype armor exoskeletons for the occasion. I think a field demonstration is in order."

"Yes sir. Will there be anything else?" The man asked, a knowing smirk plastered on his face.

"Now that you mention it. Tell the R & D technicians to prepare for live captures. We've been asked to collect a few specimens, and I don't want to disappoint my investors." Lex chuckled lightly as Thomas deactivated his comms to do as he had asked. Turning to the brunette woman at his side, the genius businessman leaned back in his chair and regarded the android for a moment before speaking again. "Mercy, hold any further calls and appointments until this situation has been dealt with will you? Also, tell the United Nations that I've decided to lead the humanitarian relief efforts personally while this ongoing crisis continues. Afterward, have the jet prepped and ready to depart as soon as humanly possible. We're going to be very busy for the foreseeable future." The android nodded her head before she too started on her assigned tasks.

While she did that, Lex Luthor looked out the floor to ceiling window that dominated the skyscraper's top floors. Despite his calm disposition, secretly, he wondered just what new threat had decided to invade Earth this time. Like the heroes he was going to aid in the fight for their world, he felt that something was different about this invasion than previous ones. Whatever the case, he couldn't contain his glee either at having an opportunity to field test some of his latest inventions against the same enemy, all in the efforts of ensuring the peace of course. In reality, like so many things he did, there was more to his every move than anyone not privy to the way his mind operated could ever imagine.

**Thirty miles from the shore of Gotham City**

Black Manta looked towards the mercenary and assassin, Deathstroke, who had decided to tag along when news had first filtered out of the beleaguered city, before turning to the public address system that would allow him to speak to his own troops. Like any good general, he cared for the fate of his men, and he would not, could not send them to this war without some words of encouragement. Picking up the microphone in front of him, Black Manta stood from his chair, his gaze fixated on the dark ocean they were currently passing through for several seconds before he began to speak.

"There is a developing crisis in Gotham City. A new enemy has made its presence known, and we have been asked to help in the assault to reclaim it. Normally I would not agree to this, but this enemy is different. It does not discriminate in who it attacks, which makes this threat one we cannot ignore. If they manage to spread beyond Gotham, then it could potentially spread out of control. While the League has already engaged this new enemy, their collective might is not enough on its own." He let the shocked murmurs this statement would no doubt elicit from his people die down before he continued. "This is a full scale invasion, and as such, no mercy shall be shown. When we make land, I expect each and every one of you to stand strong and face this threat as you've been trained. Together, we can beat these creatures back!"

Black Manta grinned when his command staff on the bridge, as well as every soldier aboard the Manta-Flyer, cheered and roared their eagerness to face this new enemy head on. He waited until the noise had died down before he began to issues orders, making every preparation he could think of that might help turn the tide in their favor. Whatever came next, he was certain of only one thing. The enemy might change, but war remained the same. Whether they came out of this victorious or not, Manta took some measure of comfort that he had so far done all he could to ensure that they wouldn't go down without a fight.

Turning to Deathstroke again, Black Manta saw the barest hint of a grin, and chuckled at the look on the mercenary's face. It seemed his stirring speech had done its job better than he thought it would. Despite this, he couldn't help but feel his thoughts go out to his son, Kaldur'ahm. Despite their differences which put them on opposite sides, he was honestly proud of the man his son had become. That didn't mean he wouldn't give him a piece of his mind when they met on the field of battle, but the fact remained that Kaldur had become a fine warrior, and that to fight beside his son made the man more than a little excited to stand united for the first time in their lives despite the dire circumstances pushing them together.


End file.
